4G 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 20. 
i 
This may be known at once by the thorny prickles on 
the main stem, the branching-stems, and the leaf-stems. 
It is a large-growing species; the leaves are terminal on 
a stoat stem, sometimes branched, and five feet high in 
this country, though it, of course, grows much higher in 
its shady, native localities. 
A. truinata (Frosted-leaved).—From Brazil. This is 
a singular-looking species; the leaves and stems are 
covered with soft, woolly-looking hairs, giving the plant 
an appearance like hoar frost, hence its specific name. 
It is thrice, and sometimes four times pinnated, with the 
fronds from four to six feet long. 
A. villosa (Shaggy).—A South American Fern. Dis¬ 
tinguished from the preceding species by the stems and 
fronds being covered all over with long, shaggy hair¬ 
like processes. The fronds also are somewhat longer, 
being often seven feet in length, though the main stem 
that supports the fronds is low. 
Anetium citrii’olium (Citron-leaved).—A genus of 
West Indian Ferns approaching Acrostichum, from which 
it may be distinguished at once by the seed-cases being 
irregularly scattered all over the under surface of the 
leaves. There is only one species in cultivation. Its 
fronds are simple, that is, not pinnated, and the root- 
stem creeping. By this it may bo increased. Divide the 
root-stock in two or three lengths, pot them, and place 
them in peat under a hand-light, and each division will 
send forth a new leaf, originated from incipient buds. 
Antrophyom lanceolatum (Spear-head leaved).— 
A West Indian, dwarf, simple-leaved fern ; curious from 
the fact that the seed vessels are within the skin or outer 
covering of the frond. It is allied to Hemionitis, but 
from this circumstance is separate from it. The leaves 
grow a foot long, and are of a narrow lance-sliape, and 
thickly set on a short root-stock, or rbizoma. It is a 
very curious, interesting, dwarf fern, and worthy of 1 
general cultivation. 
Aspidium. — From aspidion, a little shield, the seed l 
cases being covered witli a shield or protecting skin, s 
The genus A spit lium was formerly a very large one, but ! 
modem botanists have reduced the number of species to ( 
two ; the rest are divided into at least ten genera. 
A. trifoliatum (Three - leaved). — A broad-leaved, I 
somewhat dwarf, West Indian species. The seed-cases | 
are regularly distributed over the middle part of the 
fertile fronds, and are exceedingly beautiful. Not always 
trifoliate, for there are generally two pairs of pinnae, 
besides the terminal one, on account of its being dwarf, 
with fine, large leaves, and elegant veining, with its 
beautiful shield-like sori or seed-cases. This species is 
very desirable. 
A. macrophyllum (Broad-leaved).—A West Indian, 
noble, strong-growing Fern, with pinnated fronds nearly 
three feet long. Seed-cases kidney-shaped, and very re¬ 
gularly distributed on each side of the mid-rib ol the 
leaf. The foliage is large, and of a pale green. 
Asplenium.—A large assemblage of beautiful Ferns 
are arranged under this name. They may be known by 
examining the arrangement of the seed-cases. These : 
are placed on the upper side of the veins running in | 
lines from the mid-rib of each leaf. The fronds arc i 
various, from a simple form to pinnate, bipinnate, and j 
tripinuate, but the seed-cases are uniformly long, narrow, 
and simple. 
A. aurituji (Eared).—A West Indian, pinnated Fern, 
with the pinnae twice parted or bipartite. The fronds 
are produced at the end of the rhizoma. 
A. Braziliensis (Brazilian).—The fronds of this 
South American Asplenium, are simple, a rare occur¬ 
rence in this genus. It is sometimes called “ the Bird’s- 
nest Fern,” from its fronds being set circularly round 
the root-stock. They are frequently, in cultivation, 
seen from three to four feet long. 
A. drachyopterum (Channel-winged). — This is a 
beautiful, low-growing, rare Fern, from Sierra Leone. 
The fronds spread horizontally, much in the same way 
as an Adiantum, growing only eight or nine inches 
high. 
A. coJtPTUNi (Rooting). — A very beautiful, dark- 
green, Jamaica Fern, rather rare, but may be increased 
readily by the rooting knobs at the end ol each lull- 
grown frond. They are pinnate, growing a loot-amba- 
half high, terminal, that is, growing in clusters on the 
top of the rbizoma. 
A. diversifolium (Various leaved). — Though this 
singular Fern will exist in a greenhouse, yet it thrives 
much better in a moderately-heated stove. The fronds 
vary much ; some are narrow-leaved and fertile ; others 
are broader-leaved and barren, whilst others are partially 
fertile and partly barren. I once bad a plant with a 
rather long rhizoma, and at each ol the joints ol the 
root-stock there sprung up a plant evidently a sucker. I 
allowed them to grow till they produced roots, and then 
carefully detached them from the parent plant, potted 
them in small pots, and placed them under a handlight 
where they soon made fresh roots and growth, thus 
giving me a good slock ol this rather rare elcgautly- 
curious F’ern. T. Api’leby. 
(To be continued.) 
A FEW WORDS ON MUSHROOMS. 
Not with span ding the many treatises we have bad on 
the culture of this singular production, it is evident that 
its success is still in some degree enveloped in mystery; 
for it not unfrequently happens that the best arranged 
plans, and good materials, carefully put together in the 
most approved way, are failures; while a rough made- 
up bed, or some other obscure corner, sends up Mush¬ 
rooms in abundance, almost without care, attention, or 
protection of any kind. Now, though those are extreme 
cases, yet it sometimes happens that such is the result. 
A cryptogamous plant, like tho Mushroom, deriving its 
existence from other sources than the usual mode of 
propagation by seed, or cuttings, by which other culti¬ 
vated plants are increased, we need not wouder it our 
efforts should occasionally be unsuccessful, when we are 
really so little acquainted with the nature and pro¬ 
perties of the production we are attempting to cultivate; 
yet much may be dono, and much is done, to secure a 
crop, by aiding our endeavours with all the agents that 
are likely to assist in that way. 
As Mushrooms, in January, are more of a luxury than 
the same in September, it behoves the cultivator to lose 
no time to get ready the materials necessary for a bed; 
good stable dung is best, added to which may be some 
good dried cow-dung from a pasture field, and that of 
sheep, when it can be swept up, is also of much value. 
Tlieso ingredients, by being mixed and thrown in a 
heap, speedily heat, and when so, must be often turned 
to prevent that overheating which is all but fatal to the 
Mushroom thriving afterwards. As this is one ol the 
most important points to be observed, I beg particularly 
to call attention to it, in order that the inexperienced 
may avoid the disappointment which the use of dung 
that has lain some time in a heap, and got heated until 
j it is as white as chalk, is sure to give; and dung speedily 
does become as I have described, very often being so 
before it is removed from the stable dung-hill, when the 
latter is capacious enough to hold a quantity that will 
heat, and thus lie for a fortnight or so. The dung for 
Mushroom-culture ought to be taken from the heap every 
day, as it is made, and laid in a shed or some other dry 
place, not too thick, yet not in such a way as to get 
perfectly dry, for such would be robbing the dung of the 
juices most necessary to its fermenting, and perhaps 
fertilizing, properties. A heap, or rather a layer ol such 
