286 
THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ December, 
■which the number is legion, and the variety is astonishing, there being amongst them some 
wonderfully beautiful novelties. They comprise varieties with broad, medium, and narrow 
leaves, bronzy and green, with crimson, rose, pink, violet, and white variegations, and with 
drooping, spreading, and erect habit—these features being blended in all sorts of combina¬ 
tions. _ The effect of a whole house full of these grand novelties was quite startling. 
- £The veteran pteridologist, Mr. John Smith, has just published his 
matured views on the Classification of Ferns , in a handy volume of some 429 
pages, under the title of Historia Filicum (Macmillan), and illustrated by thirty 
Plates drawn by Fitch. Mr. Smith’s primary division is into circinate Ferns and Ferns not 
circinate, the former including nearly all known genera, the latter the three genera of 
Ophioytossacece. The first group is then broken up, as usual, into those with the ring of the 
spore-cases vertical (PolypodiaceceJ, or horizontal-central ( Gleicheniece , Hymenophyllecd), or 
horizontal-apical or incomplete ( Pchizcece, Osrnundacece), or wanting ( Marattiacecm ). Then 
comes in Mr. Smith’s special feature of classification; the Polypodiacea3 are divided-into 
Eremobrya , with “ fronds solitary, lateral, and articulate with the caudex and Desmobrya , 
with “ fronds terminal, solitary, fasciculate, adherent to the caudexwhile the Marattiaceso 
form the third division, Scaphobrya, with “fronds terminal, rising between the stipuliform 
or socket-like appendages, and articulate with the caudex.” This mode of division naturally 
breaks rip many of the old associations of species brought together by similarity of fructifica¬ 
tion, and appears to be, at least, open to as many and as strong objections as the use of any 
other single character. Under these three divisions there are ranged 220 genera, of which 
the characters are given, and the names of the species if a few, or those of a selection, where 
numerous. The work will be extromely useful to students of Ferns, from the structural 
observations it embodies. 
-@There is no lack of Books on British Ferns. Mr. Newman lias lately 
issued what he calls the Fifth, or People’s Edition of his History of British Ferns 
(Van Voorst), a small volume, of handy size for the pocket. The merits of Mr. 
Newman’s writings on Ferns are well known ; it, therefore, will suffice to say that this small 
book is a modern epitome of the larger one. It is reliable as to the information it gives, 
and that is no small praise. There is a vein of egotism throughout it which, to say the least, is 
amusing, as, for instance, in the following passage:—“ This final edition, like those which 
have preceded it, will doubtless raise up its host of imitators; to all such I most cordially 
■wish success. But it is a still greater satisfaction to me to know, that by introducing this 
new study, I have afforded pleasure to thousands and pain to none; wherever I go, there are 
Ferneries in the open garden, in the greenhouse, or the dwelling-house; and Newman’s 
Ferns, albeit sometimes under another name, has bocome a household book.” It is nevertheless, 
as we have already said, a good book, and we wish it success. 
- thoroughly useful book to young gardeners wbo venture on tbe 
higher branches of study is Baker s Elementary Lessons in Botanical Geography 
(Eeeve and Co.), which gives in little compass what could only otherwise be 
obtained at considerable expenditure of time and attention. Its object is well explained in 
the preface, where the author remarks that he fe’lt it was extremely desirable that gardeners 
and other learners in biology should be encouraged as much as possible to acquire compre¬ 
hensive and correct ideas of the laws and leading facts of plant-distribution. The matter 
originally appeared in a series of papers in the Gardeners’ Chronicle, and has since been 
reprinted, with some alterations. We strongly recommend it to the notice of students. 
- Some of the best of the Herbaceous Phloxes will be found among the 
following :—White Lady, the best of the whites in the decussata section ; Madame 
A. Dumesnil, white with purple eye ; Madame Maisonneuve, white with crimson 
eye, and somewhat flushed; Mademoiselle Marie Saison, white with purple eye ; Coquette 
du Parc de Neuillv, white with bright purple eye ; Eugenie Immer, white with delicately- 
tinted purple eye; Comtesse de Turenne, white with delicate purple eye, a very chaste- 
looking flower; Coccinea, a bright but dark carmine-crimson ; Resplendent, carmine-scarlet; 
Lothair, light salmony-scarlet with dark eye ; Madame Caillard, bright salmon with dark 
eye; Riviere, fine salmon-scarlet with dark eye; Mons. Jigne, rosy salmon with dark eye; 
Mademoiselle Ilermine de Turenne, purple-crimson ; Madame Godfrey, bright purple; M. 
Guldenscliuch, rosy pink with dark eye ; Menotti, lilac with white eye, very distinct; and 
