November 21.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
119 
sill to cheer his heart,—they “ serve him with a hint that 
nature lives,” and bring to his recollection the green fields, 
the flowery woods, and the gay meadows, to which he has 
long been a stranger. But to the cottager our native Flora 
is of interest in another point of view, and deserves his 
careful attention. The wild plants of our land are in many 
cases important for their economical uses, and are otherwise 
interesting to the cultivator. In these papers I have endea¬ 
voured to draw seasonable attention chiefly to those native 
plants which may be turned to profitable account in supply¬ 
ing food for man and the lower animals, or other purposes; 
and although in some instances the uses to which I have 
alluded may not prove really beneficial to many of your 
readers, yet, according to no meaner authority than Lord 
Brougham, it is a gratification to extend our inquiries and 
discover what is useful to man, even though we have no 
chance ourselves of ever benefiting by the information. To 
no class of readers does it seem more advisable to address 
a series of papers on economical native botany than to the 
readers of The Cottage Gardener : no class is more 
likely to aid in the development of this source of indigenous 
wealth. 
At the present cheerless season of the year, when there 
are so few wild flowers to invite the botanical wanderer to 
the fields, it may be excusable if I for once depart from my 
usual rule, and devote the present paper to a family of 
plants which, although not conspicuous for their economical 
uses, are nevertheless exceedingly interesting to all cultiva¬ 
tors of ornamental gardening: I mean the Ferns. 
■ During the present month many of these plants are in 
great beauty, and are, in fact, along with the mosses (to 
which we may by-and-bye direct attention), the only objects 
of interest which reward the collector at this ungenial 
season. It would be out of place for me here to enter upon 
detailed technical descriptions of the British Ferns, seeing 
that so many excellent manuals (as those of Moore, New¬ 
man, and Francis) are before the public;—I shall briefly 
enumerate the various species, only allowing my remarks 
expansion when this seems to be called for by the peculiar 
interest of the plant under consideration. 
Adiantum CapiUus-veneris (Maiden-hair). — This is one 
of the loveliest and one of the rarest of our native ferns— 
the only British representative of a genus whose delicate 
species seem ill adapted to brave the rigours of the north, 
and are more frequently found enjoying the genial shades of 
tropical lands. The few habitats known for this plant are 
chiefly in warm exposures, and especially near the sea; it 
generally grows from the sides of upright dripping rocks 
and caves; and, in accordance with its predilection for the 
south, Hooker has recorded it as being very abundant in the 
south of Europe, where he has seen it lining the inside of 
wells, as it does the basin of the fountain at Yaucluse, with 
a tapestry of the tenderest green. 
Allosorus crispus , the Bock Brake, or, as Southey aptly 
dubs it, the “ Mountain Parsley,”—not indeed from its 
possessing any of the good qualities of its culinary proto¬ 
type, but from the beautiful crisped fronds which it exhibits. 
The Allosorus is often abundant in mountain districts, fre¬ 
quently covering the debris of the hill side with a refreshing 
verdure. 
Asplenium Adiantum-nigrum (Black Spleenwort). — Com¬ 
mon on rocks and walls; often cultivated; sometimes the 
fronds are forked. 
A. lanceolatum (Green Lanceolate Spleenwort). — A rare 
and beautiful fern. 
A. marinum (Sea Spleenwort). — The shining fronds of 
this species ornament the perpendicular cliffs of the sea- 
coast, a habitat seldom chosen by ferns, but which seems 
peculiarly suitable for both the present plant and the 
Scolopendrium. 
A. Ruta-muraria (the Wall Rue) — so named in allusion to 
the nature of its favourite places of abode.—Small and in¬ 
conspicuous, like the two following. 
A.alternifolium (Alternate-leaved Spleenwort).—Esteemed 
by cultivators as one of our very rarest ferns. 
A. septentrionale (Forked Spleenwort). — Not so rare as 
the preceding, but a local plant. It occurs in Wales, West¬ 
moreland, Perthshire, and grows in considerable abundance 
on the rocks at Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh. 
A. Trichomanes (the Common Spleenwort) is indeed the 
commonest species of the genus, but a beautiful plant, 
although when transferred to the flower-pot it does not in 
all cases long retain its native luxuriance and beauty. 
A. viride (the Green Spleenwort) resembles the preceding, 
but is a neater plant, and a much rarer one, being con¬ 
fined to mountainous districts. It may readily be distin¬ 
guished by its green racliis, that of the Trichomanes being 
black. 
(To be continued.) 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor of 
The Cottage Gardener, 2, Amen Corner , Paternoster Row, London.” 
Lachenalia Tricolor (A Subscriber).— It will do admirably in a 
window. See what is said of it in the third volume. The pretty tubular 
flowers are produced in abundance at the end of short flower-stalks from 
nine to fifteen inches in length. Sandy loam, with an equal portion of 
peat-earth, or very reduced leaf-mould, suits it well; give little water 
until it is growing freely. It forces well; and by keeping it dry when 
not growing, it may be brought into bloom at almost any time. For 
your window do not hurry it, as it will bloom the finer the farther the 
sun gets from the dark days. 
Veronica Speciosa and Pittosporum Undulatum (J. W .).— 
“ Can these be wintered in a cool greenhouse?” Yes. “Are there any 
other varieties of either plant that may be so wintered?” Yes— Veronica 
decussata, labiata, parvifiora , and perfoliata ; but we neither praise them 
nor speciosa greatly, though the foliage of the latter is pretty. Pittospo¬ 
rum tobira is hardier than undulatum, and its white flowers are equally 
fragrant. There are, also, revolutum, tomentosum and fulintm, all yellow, 
and coriaceum, blue, which is rather more tender. Both genera like loam 
and peat; and cuttings of young wood, getting firm, strike freely in May, 
when inserted in sand and covered with a bell-glass 
Chrysanthemums (W. W.). —These with lanky stems you wish to 
make bushy. After striking and potting them in spring, pinch the tops 
off them repeatedly, which will make them bushy ; but do not pinch after 
July. 
Propagating Camellias (M . G.). —Take ripened young shoots, cut 
them into what lengths you please, but every bud will make a cutting, 
severing them from each other between the joints, slice off a little of the 
wood on the side opposite the bud—each cutting will thus consist of the 
bud, its leaf, and a piece of wood above and more below the bud—insert 
these buds into sand, placed above sandy peat, and place in a hotbed with a 
hand-glass over them. If put in in autumn, many will be struck before 
spring. Without bottom-heat, they must be kept in a shady place in 
the greenhouse, and get a lift on with bottom-heat in the spring. Larger 
cuttings must be cut across at a joint in the usual way. Grafting is best 
done in spring, having the assistance of a moist genial hotbed. 
Fuchsia (G. F.). —As your plants are in nine and twelve-inch pots, 
unless you wish them very large, we would advise shaking the soil from 
the roots, and repotting in fresh soil, trimming the roots a little, just 
after the tops begin to break, and using the same sized pots. 
Azaleas (Ibid). —“ Plants 2 ft. 6 in. high, shifted into 12 and 14-inch 
pots in March, shall I shift them again in March, or allow them to bloom 
in their present pots?” Allow them to bloom; do not touch the roots 
until then ; and, unless very much matted at the roots, we would, after 
flowering, merely top-dress, and let them stand another season. 
Cyclamen Seedlings (Bath). —These have been very much shaken 
in the box in which they were sown, and you think injured. You may 
either pot them or allow them to remain, with a little fresh soil strewed 
among them, until they begin to grow. In either case, give little or no 
water until fresh growth has commenced; but see that the tubers are not 
so dry as to shrivel. 
Climbing Shrubs, &c. (O. F.). —We will see what can be done so 
far as we can understand you. 
Magnolia Grandiflora (J. B.). —To prevent the young wood of 
this growing against a rustic fence from being cut by the frost, place 
stout rods against it a little longer than the top leaves, and when quite 
dry thatch it with long dry straw, after the manner of cottage bee hives ; 
or tie the thick ends of the straw in little bundles, and after packing 
three inches thick of small broken straw or ferns among the leaves place 
the tied straw astride the whole ; the tops of the rods will hold this, and 
a packthread tied round the middle of the thatch will keep all right. 
Your dark Pelargonium, like Jtolinskii, must be Belle d’Afric or Afrique, 
and the other Yetmeniana grandiflora or one of its seedlings ; but to be 
quite sure we ought to have seen a fresh flower of each. Punch is scarlet, 
and no mistake. 
Burying Bees (B. B.). —1. The ropes of straw are simply wound 
round the hive, beginning at the bottom, enclosing the entrance of course, 
and gradually ascending to the top. The earth being thrown into the 
pit as the hive is in process of binding, it of course keeps each straw- 
band in its place. The hive thus encased, had best be surmounted by 
some old pan or pail, or a few old slates, previous to its complete inter¬ 
ment. 2. It is difficult to say whether the tube is necessary; presuming 
that it is not, I have this day (November 8) buried a hive which has no 
communication whatever with the external air. Still, as this is interred 
