Juce 7, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
447 
Spleeawort (A. fontanum) ; and 9, the Lanceolate Spleenwort (A. lanceo- 
latum). The Lady Fern I resolutely decline to deal with under this 
heading. Now among these Nos. 3, 5, 6, and 7, though very pretty in 
their way when nestling at home in their native rocks (and, barring 
No. 6, great catches when found, as they are exceedingly rare), not only 
possess little decorative value in themselves, but have yielded no 
distinct varieties, and are of very difficult culture. I will, therefore, 
dismiss them, merely remarking that as thorough rock Ferns they must 
be treated accordingly in a well drained mixture of pieces of porous 
stone forming chinks filled with leaf mould, into which chinks they 
are installed, imitating Nature as far as possible, and giving them 
abundant light and air. It is, indeed, the difficulty of supplying enough 
of this last without giving too much to their frailer companions which 
leads to their failure, as a rule, in otherwise successful ferneries. I will 
refer to the other species in their order. 
The Green Spleenwort (A. viride). 
This resembles very strongly the Maidenhair Spleenwort described 
hereafter, but has a green stalk instead of a black one, and somewhat 
stouter fronds. The pinnm, too, are firmly attached to the midrib 
without the joints at which they are shed in the other species. It is 
a tenant of deep chinks in the limestone at low levels, but high up 
in the clouds among the loftier hills it is found in profusion amid the 
rocky debris, and even in the short adjoining grass. Some dozen 
varieties are recorded, of which multifidum is reported as not uncommon. 
This has the apex irregularly crested. Bipinnatum and incisum are the 
two handsomest. As it requires a constantly moist atmosphere I grow 
the species in a close frame in Essex, but Mr. Lowe in his damper 
climate near Chepstow only protects them in a greenhouse in winter 
and hangs them up on a north wall during the summer, only watering 
in very dry weather. 
The Maidenhair Spleenwort (A. trichomanes). 
This species is one of the commonest of the genus, and is found as a 
wall and hedge Fern in most of the counties of Britain. It has long 
slender fronds formed of a black midrib bearing oval or roundish sub¬ 
divisions, which in the second year fall off at a joint, leaving the midrib 
persistent. It is not nearly so dainty in its requirements as A. viride, 
and in my fernery has spontaneously filled many a chink in the rock- 
work with its bright green graceful radiating tufts, while in a wild 
state I have seen old walls literally swarming with plants growing in 
absolute mortar. This species is probably the most sportive of the genus, 
no less than twenty-seven distinct forms figuring in the latest lists. 
A. t. cristatum, with finely tasselled frond tips, has been repeatedly 
found, and I have one frond in my collection, grown by myself, in which 
the broad spreading tassel is over 2 inches wide. 
Many years ago, whilst visiting Edinburgh, I dropped in at a 
nursery where there were a few British varieties ; one was a small 
plant, apparently dead, of A. t. cristatum. Fancying I saw a spark of 
life, “ bang went saxpence,” and the Fern was mine. The spark, how¬ 
ever, proved an illusion, the plant was dead. The following spring I 
was in the act of throwing it away when it occurred to me to use my 
lens and seek for spores among the debris. Spore cases I saw, and sowed 
the “ debris.” The result was a mass of fungoid growth. Once again 
I was approaching the rubbish heap, but this time detected some 
prothalli on the inside of the pot rim. I pricked these off on to clean 
soil, and raised no less than thirty-six splendid plants, all crested beau¬ 
tifully, as my final reward. I give this experience at length, as it 
conveys a good lesson. 
The variety incisum is the plumose barren form of the species, and 
has been found in several distinct localities. Clapham’s is the best, and 
in this the oval pinnae are transformed into deeply cut triangular ones— 
almost, indeed, divided again. A. t. confluens (^Stailes) is a curiosity, 
and a supposed hybrid between A. trichomanes and A. marinum. It 
has fronds nearly a foot long and an inch wide, the pinnae running 
together at the tip. It is very rare, as though apparent spores are 
produced profusely, they are imperfect, and yield nothing. A. t. 
Harovi and Moulei have much smaller lobes or pinnae than the species, 
and these are crenate or wavy. I have twice found kindred forms, once 
at Holne, S. Devon, and more recently at Killarney. A. t. ramo- 
cristatum, polydactylum, ramosum, and corymbiferum are all highly 
developed forms of A. t. cristatum. 
If planted in pots A. trichomanes should be placed next the edge. 
It prefers a chink on a slope, where the drainage is perfect ; it is out 
of its element on the flat. 
The Sea Spleenwort (A. marinum). 
This Fern is well named, as its habitat is always close to the sea, in 
chinks in the cliffs or walls well within the immediate influence of 
brine-laden breezes. I have found watering it with brackish water 
beneficial. It is very distinct from its brethren, having bright green 
stout fronds, once divided, the lobes or pinnm being oblong, with 
bluntish tips and slightly crenate edges. It is, like all the family, 
perfectly evergreen, but is not constituted to stand frosts, and perishes 
in winter unless protected in a warmed house. It only frequents the 
warmest coasts, and doubtless the salt breezes prevent the little frosts 
there prevalent being fatal to it. 
Treated as a warm greenhouse Fern, or even as a tropical one, it 
thrives apace, being quite an exception in this regard to our British 
species, which, as a rule, resent coddling. It has produced some twenty- 
eight varieties, the best of which by far is A. m. plumosum—a fine 
robust twice-divided barren form, attaining 2 feet in length of frond ; 
A. m. imbricatnm, in which the pinnae are well overlapped, is a good 
form ; and so in another direction is A. m. eapitatum, bearing a large 
crest. Most of the others can only be classed as sub-varieties, and I 
therefore pass them by. 
The Black Maidenhair Spleenwort (A. adiantum nigrum). 
This is very common as a wall and hedgebank Fern in many parts. 
It has its fronds twice or even thrice divided, and of a shining dark 
green* with purplish black stalks. It varies a good deal in the bluntness 
or sharpness of its parts, the handsomest forms belonging to the sharp 
or “ acutum ” section. The common market Spleenwort fronds so much 
used for bouquets, and called the French Fern, are from a continental 
form of this species. The most distinct variety is A. adiantum n. grandi- 
ceps, in which the fronds are nearly all crests. This form has been found 
twice—once in Ireland and once in England, and comes perfectly true 
from spores. A. ad. n. microdon has very large almost simple pinnae, 
and is supposed to be a cross between this species and A. marinum. 
A curious but hardly beautiful form was found by myself on Dartmoor 
in abundance, A. ad. n. caudatum, in which all terminals are extended, 
forming long tails, while on each frond numerous lobes are reduced and 
yellowish in lint. This species grows best in fine sandy leaf mould. 
The Lanceolate Spleenwort (A. lanceolatum). 
This is another seaside member of the family, but not quite so fond 
of the brine. It bears a strong resemblance to the last-described species, 
but has greener stalks and a more spear-shaped frond. A. 1. microdon 
is identical in form with the variety of same name of A. adiantum 
nigrum, and, like that form, is a presumed hybrid. A. 1. cristatum, 
found in the Azores, is the most evenly crested form possibly of the 
whole genus. 
The secret of successful Asplenium culture is mainly good drainage 
and a loose rocky compost. All are wall or hedgebank Ferns, and are 
never found in level soil. The rockery, in short, is their home, and in 
it they will best take care of themselves. All are evergreen,—CiiAS. T. 
Druery, F.L.S., F.R.H.S. 
(To be continued.) 
DAMAGE TO ORCHARDS. 
The very severe and serious damage by caterpillars to the fruit trees 
in many districts ought to cause fruit tree planters to abandon the 
system of cropping land with what is called top fruit over bush fruit. 
It is impossible to entirely destroy the pest on standard trees unless the 
land is clear under them, which would allow burning or liming the soil. 
If a plantation of dwarf standards is made it is possible to dust the trees 
with lime with comparative ease. If the orchards are planted with trees 
12 by 12 feet the land can be for a great part cleaned between the rows 
with a horse hoe and dressed freely with lime in the spring and autumn 
at the appearance of the caterpillar in the spring and of the moth in 
the autumn. 
If the soil is partly prepared in the spring for autumn planting a 
liberal allowance of gas lime turned in by the plough will be of great 
benefit; lime is a supreme destroyer. The land being kept clean 
between the rows, there seems no reason why the pest should not be 
entirely eradicated ; but there must be no old grass orchards near. 
Gooseberry and Currant orchards should be separate. Orchards of 
Apples on the Paradise stock may be planted 9 feet apart. As they 
come into bearing in three to four years’ time they are quickly profit¬ 
able, and from the dwarfer growth, the trees can be cleaned with great 
facility with either Paris green, if this is really destructive, or with 
lime. Planting for posterity ought to be given up ; young orchards are 
infinitely to be preferred.—T. Francis Rivers. 
The Gooseberry Caterpillar. 
When the fruit had just set on my Gooseberry bushes I noticed that 
a few of them were infested with caterpillars, and being very busy at 
the time, nothing was done to destroy them. When the fruit was nearly 
large enough for gathering they had increased to such an extent that 
the whole of the crop would soon have been spoilt, as well as the bushes 
being seriously injured by loss of foliage, so that I was obliged by some 
means to destroy the enemy. Not liking to use any insecticide that 
would discolour or injure the fruit, the following remedy was tried, 
which proved effectual, and perhaps may be useful to others. The 
bushes were sprayed with hot water at a temperature of 120°, and 
then given a sharp shake, this dislodging most of the caterpillars the 
hot water had failed to reach. After this treatment most of them 
were on the ground, when a thick coating of soot spread over them 
prevented further damage. The next morning all the bushes were 
looked over, and any caterpillars that had escaped were picked off and 
burnt. By following up the hand-picking a few times I hope to be 
entirely free from them. When the caterpillars are full grown they 
take much killing, and it is very necessary to give a thick coating of 
soot or they will crawl through it and soon be up the bushes again 
feeding. Though the soot does not kill them at once, they being wet, it 
sticks to them, and prevents their getting to the stems again, and they 
die in a day or two. The soot must be applied immediately the washing 
is done. 
Freshly slaked lime was also tried, and though so hot that a trowel 
had to be used to apply it, the caterpillars seemed none the worse; they 
soon crawled through it, and found their feeding ground again, and a 
