March 3, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
169 
balance of £13 Is. i lid., as a result of the financial operation. The 
Show for the present season is to be held in the grounds of the Castle 
Green, Hereford, on July 12th. The Committee and all the honorary 
officers were re-elected. 
THE SHEFFIELD BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
The forty-eighth annual report of the above-named Society (founded 
in 1844) came to hand as a little volume of seventy-four pages, dealing with 
the work of the past year, comprising lists of members, plants received, 
regulations, deed of constitution, by-laws, and a paper on Ferns by the 
new Curator, Mr. W. Harrow. It is altogether an interesting production, 
and seems to indicate a renewal of vitality which many will be glad to 
see, for during Mr. Ewing’s curatorship many notable horticultural 
gatherings were held in these gardens. It will be remembered that some 
time since Mr. Ewing retired, and it appears, from the accounts before 
us, that he is allowed the well-earned pension of £110 per annum. Mr. 
William Harrow, who was appointed Curator at the close of last year, 
was selected from over ninety applicants, and has had about eight years’ 
experience in the Botanic Gardens, two at Kew and six at Cambridge ; 
he also has several certificates, and will, no doubt, with fitting oppor¬ 
tunities, add to the reputation of the gardens. 
The total income of the Society for the past year was £2378 13s. 8d., 
of which £1325 15s. was derived from subscriptions, and there seems to 
be an available surplus of £102 Is. lOd. The list of members occupies 
twenty-two pages, about 880 names being included. The officers of the 
Society are as follows :—President: Mr. W. B. Clegg. Vice-President : Mr. 
W. M. Eadon. Committee : Messrs. Jarvis W. Barber, B. P, Broomhead, 
Colton-Fox, B. T. Burdekin, W. H. Crowley, Harry Fisher, C. D. 
Pettinger, T. W. Sorby, Geo. H. Waterfall, Geo. E. Webs'.er, F. C. Wild, 
and J. B. Wostinholm. Secretary : Mr. T. G. Shuttleworth, Queen 
Insurance Buildings, Church Street, Sheffield. 
Ferns. 
The following notes are extracted from Mr. Harrow’s paper mentioned 
above:— 
Ferns rank among the fairest gems of the vegetable kingdom ; 
there are no other plants to be compared with them that possess such 
graceful and beautiful foliage or such a diversity of pleasing shades of 
green. The forms of their leaves (usually termed fronds) are innumer¬ 
able in outline, some of them hair-like, as Trichomanes trichoideum, a 
West Indian species ; many others being so delicate in structure as to be 
almost transparent. These qualities, as well as many other points of 
interest, have won for them true admiration with the plant-loving com¬ 
munity of our country. 
The number of distinct species known is estimated in round numbers 
at 3000. The number of varietal forms in cultivation are almost legion ; 
especially is this the case with some of our British species, which are 
prone to run into varieties, many of them meritorious to a high degree 
as garden plants, and which at the present time are highly prized by 
lovers of hardy Ferns. Out of the above number of known Ferns not 
more than fifty distinct species are contributed by the British Isles, and 
out of this number thirty-six have been recorded as indigenous to the 
county of Yorkshire. The number of Ferns as distinct species under 
cultivation at the present is little more than a thousand, and, judging 
from specimens to be seen in Herbaria, there yet remains many choice 
and beautiful forms to be introduced from their native habitats. 
At no period were Ferns so extensively cultivated as at the present. 
Many growers for market produce annually thousands and thousands of 
a few popular species and varieties, which are particularly adapted for 
general decorative purposes to meet the ever-increasing demand. About 
seventy years ago (according to J. Smith, one of the past Curators of the 
Royal Gardens, Kew, who made Ferns his special branch of study, and 
who was instrumental in introducing many new species from abroad) 
there were not more than forty species in the Kew collection, and this 
number may be taken to represent those under cultivation in this country 
at that period ; whilst in 1845 the number had risen to 348, and from 
the former date up to the present time the number of species in cultiva¬ 
tion has been gradually increasing, and newly introduced species and 
varieties of merit command high prices. 
Fragrant Ferns .—Fragrance among Ferns is not usually sought 
after, though there are several which emit a pleasing odour, while there 
are one or two which are entirely the reverse from pleasant smelling ; in 
fact, disagreeable to the senses. The fragrance is doubtless due to the 
presence of glands in the leaves. The following may be noted as 
amongst the most conspicuous :— 
Polypodium Phymatodes, Ceylon, Mauritius, &c.—The odour of the 
leaves of this species when dried has been compared to that of a Tonquin 
Bean (Dipterix odorata), which is used for scenting snuffs and other 
tobaccos. Specimens which have been preserved in the Kew Herbarium 
for nearly thirty years are now perceptibly fragrant, though they have 
been subjected to a strong dressing of corrosive sublimate. Polypodium 
nigrescens, Malayan and Pacific Islands.—The leaves of this are fragrant 
when dry. Polypodium pustulatum. New Zealand.—More fragrant than 
either of the above. The natives of New Zealand use it to scent their 
food and oil. Nephrodium semulum, British.—Hay scented. Ne- 
phrodium montanum, Europe.—^The leaves when bruised emit a lemon¬ 
like odour. Nephrodium fragrans, North Temperate Zone.—Primrose 
scented. Nephrodium odoratum. Tropical Asia.—Compared by some 
4;o the pungent odour of mustard. Nephrodium patens.—Common in 
the Tropics.—Apple scented; very frequently met with in green¬ 
houses. Dicksonia punctiloba. North America.—Known in Kentucky as 
the Sweet-smelling Fern. Adiantumtrapeziforme, var. Catherinse.—This 
is of much dwarfer growth than the species, and possesses an odour very 
similar to Black Currant leaves when bruised. Anemia Phyllitidis, var. 
foetida.—This agrees with its varietal name, and emits a very unpleasant 
odour, Mohria caffrorum. Cape.—This smells of benzoin. Angiopteris 
evecta. Tropics of Old World.—The bruised leaves give an agreeable 
scent to cocoa-nut oil. 
Adiantums .—These Ferns are popularly known as “ Maidenhair,” 
which name, according to certain authorities, has reference to the light 
and elegant growth of certain species of the genus, though, according to 
J. Smith, the name originates from the fact of a syrup being at one time 
prepared from Adiantum Capillus-Veneris, the British Maidenhair, and 
known in commerce as Capillaire, it being used by women in dressing 
their hair for the purpose of promoting its growth. Adiantum pedatum, 
North American species, is reputed to be in use for the above purpose 
amongst the North Americans. 
There are some eighty-five to ninety species, and a large number of 
varieties comprising this genus. The leaves are most variable in size, 
form, and habit; some are particularly suited for basket culture, others 
for the greenhouse, two for the open air in some localities, but the 
majority are more successfully grown in a warm structure or stove. 
Maidenhair Ferns are not difficult to cultivate, and may be grown 
with good effect amongst other plants ; but where very fine examples 
are desired it is better to locate them to a suitable part of the house, so 
that they may be subjected to the same treatment, as far as practicable. 
Should the house be a span-roof structure, running north and south, the 
best position will be on the east side ; if a west or north-west aspect, 
place them in the lightest position. The first important consideration 
in the cultivation of Ferns, or any other pot plants, is perfect drainage and 
clean pots. Another essential item, but one often overlooked, is to 
examine the drainage holes to see if they are of sufficient size for the 
plant or plants about to be placed in them. With many manufacturers 
of flower-pots the drain holes are invariably too small, and where such 
is the case the holes should be made larger. The depth of drainage 
should be regulated by the size of pots in use, and the nature of the 
specimens to be potted. Over the drainage place a layer of fibrous 
loam, from which the loose particles have been shaken out. The com¬ 
post should consist of three parts of good strong fibrous loam, broken up 
into pieces about the size of a hen’s egg for large pots ; add to this some 
half-rotted leaf soil and finely sifted broken pot dust to form the fourth 
part, with sufficient coarse sand to make the whole porous. Many writers 
recommend peat to form a portion of the compost, but this should be 
entirely dispensed with as regards the genua in question ; the growth 
made from using the above compost is more durable and stronger than 
when peat forms a part of its composition. Avoid using a potting stick 
for making the soil firm, but simply use the fingers (not the thumbs), 
unless it be with large specimens, where it is sometimes impossible to 
perform the operation entirely with the fingers. Let the compost reach 
nearly to the rim of the pot. The great advantage gained by potting 
with this compost is that they will need no further attention in this 
direction for'some two or three years, and make the best possible 
growth. Specimens grown in pots from 12 to 18 inches diameter are 
large enough for the generality of establishments, and as soon as these 
commence to show signs of exhaustion turn them out of their pots, cut 
them into halves or quarters, and in repotting see that the pieces are 
reversed. The best time for performing this operation is the beginning 
of February or latter end of January. Keep them near to the glass, 
shading during the brightest part of the summer. The blinds should in no 
case be permanent, but be taken off or rolled up as soon as the sun is 
off that portion of the house where they are placed. The stages upon 
which they are grown should be covered with shingle of a small size, or 
any other desirable material which answers the purpose of allowing the 
water to drain from the pots, and assists in keeping the stages moist. 
The foliage should never be syringed, but the stages and other 
available surfaces should be frequently damped during the day in dry, 
hot weather. During the winter months this operation will not be 
needed, with regard to those grown in the stove, more than once or twice 
a day, that is if the heating and ventilating of the house is properly 
managed. Those grown in the greenhouse will not require the stages 
damped very often during the^winter. If the above operation isdonelatein 
the day it has a most injurious effect unon the freshness of the foliage. 
More especially is this the case if the temperature is allowed to fall too 
iow during the night. The minimum temperature for stove Ferns 
during the winter should be from 55° to 60°, and in very cold weather it 
should fall 5° lower. The day temperature should have a correspond¬ 
ing- rise of 5° to 10°. Summer temperature for night, 60° to 65 , with a 
rise of 10° to 15° during the day. Greenhouse Ferns should have a 
minimum winter night temperature of 40° to 45°, with a rise of o to 10 
during the day, keeping the temperature down during the summer by 
the application of water upon the stages, &c., instead of cooling it by open¬ 
ing the ventilators to a too great extent. Ferneries, both cool and warm, 
should be constructed with bottom ventilation, unless where they are to 
a great extent hidden below the ground. 
Insects are not p.articularly troublesome to these Ferns. Greenfly, 
scale, and a small white fly may at times be found amongst them. Ihc 
former should be eradicated by tobacco powder ; scale should be picked 
off with a small stick and the fingers; the small white fly may be 
despatched by placing in the evaporating troughs a solution of tobacco 
juice, or by a free application of soot upon the stages. Centipedes are. 
