552 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 22, 1892. 
summer bedding, twenty-seven beds having been planted this year. 
The mansion stands on a broad handsome terrace 260 yards long. A 
number of beds here were planted with Madame C. Desgrange Chrys¬ 
anthemum on a groundwork of dark Heliotrope with pleasing effect. 
A large bed at the north-west corner of the terrace planted with Cannas 
surrounded with a band of Love-lies-bleeding drooping over an edging 
of Centaurea, was very striking. From the broad flight of steps leading 
from the terrace to the grounds beyond a fine view is had of the beauti¬ 
fully kept lawns, choice shrubbery borders, large beds of Roses, Dahlias, 
and other beddiDg plants in great variety. Beyond can be seen the 
boundary trees of a Yew-planted maze, and in front the lake with its 
surroundine shady walks made bright and interesting in season by 
clumps of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and other flowering shrubs. 
The rebuilding and extension of the mansion to its present noble 
proportion, as seen in the engraving, fig. 73, was commenced in 1884, 
and finished in 1887, and during the same period the giounds were 
completely remodelled. In planting the very choicest shrubs and trees 
have been selected, and are now growing into effective groups. Mrs. 
Montifiore is not only a liberal patron of horticulture, but takes a deep 
interest in the welfare of her large staff of servants, by whom she is 
much respected. Much credit is due to Mr. Glen in bringing the 
extensive alterations to a successful termination, and for the beautiful 
condition in which everything is kept.—R. I. 
A BOOK ABOUT FERNS.* 
Through the deep dells of the woodlands cold winds are sweeping. 
To the Fern lover it is not a time of pleasure, for many of his favourites 
are in the midst of their winter sleep and others stand forlorn, looking 
as much out of place as a slender yacht wrestling with a fierce winter sea. 
The Fern paradise has lost its beauty for the nonce. But the kingdom 
of the flowerless is wide, and to the truly catholic there is abundant 
consolation for outdoor dulness in the graceful denizens of greenhouses 
and stoves ; there need, therefore, be no apology for fulfilling a too long 
postponed task in reviewing Mr. G. Schneider’s great work on Ferns at 
this the first opportunity of devoting an hour’s leisure to its pleasant and 
instructive pages. It is not Fern time it is true, but in one sense so 
much the better, for the quiet season of labour affords opportunities of 
making up the arrears of reading which have been accumulating during 
past months. 
When rumour first spoke of an important new work on Ferns, the 
name of the author had not transpired, but no error was made in con¬ 
necting with it the name of the Anglo-French specialist, who has for 
so many years filled a responsible trade position with credit and even 
distinction. Mr. Schneider was driven to take refuge in England after 
the terrible Franco-German struggle that brought his family and his 
country to the verge of ruin twenty years ago, a struggle in which he bore 
a manly and honourable part. He arrived ignorant of our tongue, friend¬ 
less and destitute—fortune seemed, indeed, to have cast him asile ; 
but he had the courage, the talent, the energy of his race, and as France 
has risen triumphant over her difficulties, earning the respect of all who 
are not blinded by foolish patriotic prejudices, so he, her son, has 
acquired an honoured position and troops of friends in the land that 
gave him shelter. To gain sufficient familiarity with a strange language 
as to be able to prepare such a work as that now under notice speaks 
eloquently of the author’s ability and assiduity, and in considering what 
he has done, it is but justice to recall the circumstances which led by 
such devious and apparently ruinous paths to a prominent position 
among British Fern growers, and the authorship of the most complete 
practical work upon them in our language. 
The Book of Choice Ferns aims at completeness. It deals with out¬ 
door and indoor kinds and varieties, both culturally and descriptively ; 
moreover, it attempts to solve the knotty problem of combining the 
technical with the popular. There is not the slightest doubt that Fern 
nomenclature and description as at present recognised and conducted 
militate in no small degree against the popularity of the plants. No 
better proof of this could be desired than was provided at the Fern 
Conference in connection with the magnificent exhibits of British 
species and varieties from the collections of Messrs. Lowe and Druery. 
The beauty of many of the Fern3 attracted special attention, but after a 
study of the—to them—interminable and incomprehensible names and 
descriptions, the uninitiated fled dismayed and mystified. There are 
powerful elements of popularity about Ferns, and it is to be regretted 
that technicalities should be allowed to stand in the way of those 
elements bringing about the desired results. From the specialist’s point 
of view he is perfectly right. “ Frond ” may satisfy those who are just 
cognisant of the fact that such a term is used in connection with Ferns ; 
but what does it convey to an experienced grower ? To him pinna and 
pinnule, perhaps pinnulet as well, are an absolute necessity. It is a 
vexed question as to which course to pursue. To use general terms 
means vagueness to the specialist; to employ technicalities is to puzzle 
and probably alarm the outsider, whom it is the desire to tempt into the 
fold. There is an honoured place for any genius who may arise capable 
of bridging over the gulf between the two in this and other matters in 
a manner satisfactory to both. 
Mr. Schneider clearly recognises the necessity for, and the delicacy 
of, the task. His plan of smoothing the path of the beginner by adding 
the English meaning of Latin specific names no one will object to 
except those who are encouraged to rise superior to the necessity for it 
fit rind e w'o fc ^ Ch ° iCe FernS ; by Georse Schneider. London : L. Upcott Gill, 170, 
by the possession of some more or less superficial knowledge. But it 
would not be surprising if the author’s next compromise (albeit follow¬ 
ing a respected precedent) were cavilled at by some. He drops the 
term “ pinnule,” and substitutes for it the word “ leafit,” as appealing 
“ most directly to the mind of the reader little versed in botanical 
terms.” Our sympathy for the latter class is too warm for us to turn a 
deaf ear to Mr. Schneider’s reasoning. There will be many, however, 
whose sense of propriety will be too severely outraged to permit of 
their looking upon the step in a work of so high a character without 
uneasiness. 
Mr. Schneider divides the cultivated Ferns on which he treats into 
ten sections—namely:—(1) Tree Ferns ; (2) Gigantic Non-arborescent 
Ferns; (3) Small-growing Ferns; (4) Ferns with coloured or tinted 
fronds ; (5) Variegated and Crested Ferns ; (6) Gold and Silver Ferns ; 
(7) Climbing, Trailing, and Drooping Ferns ; (8) Filmy or Transparent 
Ferns ; (9) Viviparous or Bulbil-bearing Ferns; and (10) Curious Ferns. 
The course of chapters devoted to general information on these sections 
forms a highly interesting and valuable opening to the book. The par¬ 
ticulars of their habitats and management provide a fund of readable 
and instructive information ; moreover, each chapter is closed by a select 
list of species and varieties. A few quotations from the chapter on 
variegated and crested Ferns will clearly show the interesting nature of 
the contents of all. In relation to the crested Ferns, the author, after 
dealing with the variegated ones, says :—“ It has been clearly demon¬ 
strated that variegation is a form of variation possessed almost ex¬ 
clusively by Ferns of exotic origin. Cristation, on the contrary, is a 
form of variation to which European Ferns appear much more predis¬ 
posed than exotic kinds, for there is scarcely a British species which has 
not produced crested forms, from the dwarf Asplenium Trichomanes to 
the gigantic growing Pteris aquilina, or common Bracken. 
“ In exotic, as in native species of Ferns, cristation consists in the 
subdivision—in some instance many times repeated—of the extremities 
of the fronds, by which process a sort of tassel is naturally formed. At 
other times the cristation is only shown by the bifurcation of the tips of 
the fronds ; but it is interesting to note that, whatever form this character 
assumes, it generally extends to the pinnae, which are usually affected 
in the same manner, though in a lesser degree, as the extremity of the 
frond itself. Another point which is worth noticing is that the stalk of 
the frond is seldom, if ever, affected by simple cristation. The abnormal 
character of the stalks, which occasionally become fasciated or flattened 
and branched out, is only shown when cristation, by infinite division of 
all parts, is developed to such an extent as to produce instead of a flat 
normal frond, either a ball-like mass of green vegetation or an intricate 
and symmetrically divided sort of latticework. 
“Crestation—‘monstrosity’ as it has sometimes been called—is, when 
shared by exotic kinds, in the majority of cases constant, as plants 
partaking of it reproduce themselves freely from spores with very little 
variation. Such, however, is not the case with British Ferns, as many 
of them have a tendency to revert to the common or typical form when 
some peculiarities in their treatment do not agree with them. It is also 
well known that not only do some of these crested forms revert to the 
type, but the offspring of these are in many cases extremely variable. 
Such inconstancy plays an important part in the production of new 
varieties, as it is now an accepted theory that when the common form 
has once varied the produce of this variation have a greater tendency to 
vary again. In the case of the propagation of a specially fine crested 
form being required, this can only be effected with security by the 
division of the original plant. 
“ The variation by way of seedlings in connection with crested Ferns 
is of such importance that we trust it will not be considered out of place 
here if we quote Mr. Druery’s experience on its reproduction. Speaking 
on this most interesting subject, Mr. Druery, in a most elaborate article 
on variation in his excellent work on ‘ Choice British Ferns,’ says “ We 
have ourselves raised a very robust and heavily crested form of Hard 
Fern (Lomaria spicant) from a wild find of similar character, but of 
smaller growth. Strange to say, the sowing from which this splendid 
plant originated was so nearly a failure that only the one plant resulted, 
which, as stated, surpasses the parent; yet when spores of this more 
marked variety were sown fully 90 per cent, were absolutely common 
Hard Ferns, two only closely resembled the parent, one far surpassed it, 
several are of a different type of cresting, one is extremely dwarf, with 
fronds absolutely fan-shaped, and between these and the common ones 
there is every grade of cresting, from merely squarish tips to ball-like 
tufts.’ 
“ The foregoing statement, emanating as it does from such a high 
authority on the subject, and being the result of a series of careful 
experiments, conducted with a view to ascertaining the constancy of 
seedlings will, we venture to say, prove conclusive as to the amount of 
reliance to be placed on the reproduction of crested variations by their 
own spores. But these remarks apply exclusively to British Ferns. The 
reproduction of crested exotic kinds is principally effected by seedlings, 
and generally speaking with most satisfactory results.” 
Want of space forbids our quoting Mr. Schneider’s remarks on the 
crested exotics which followed those given in the foregoing passages. 
He passes from them to practical matter pure and simple. The first 
chapter is devoted to the subject of drying Fern fronds, on which 
some useful information is given, and the second to fertilisation and 
propagation. Technical though the latter is it is of the deepest 
interest, and it is probable that not only botanical students, but 
general readers as well, will find them worthy of careful consider¬ 
ation. Fern growers in general will not fail to carefully study the long 
