November 17. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
123 
side, and the edges of the leaf are reflexed, or turned 
inwards, on the under side, partially covering the seed- 
cases. The infertile or barren fronds are beautifully 
veined, thrice pinnated, also reflexed at the edges. In 
the hollow of the segments of the fronds there are little 
knobs, which throw out roots, and will, in consequence, 
form plants, if properly managed. 
C. thalictrioides (Thalictrum-like).—An annual 
aquatic stove Eern, common in ponds in hot countries. 
I have grown this Fern in large pots, just set overhead 
in a cistern, in the Orchid-house, fully three feet high, 
with both stalks of the fronds in high perfection. The 
plants, being only annual, die in the winter; but if 
young plants are raised, cither from seed or by the little 
knobs, late in the autumn, they will survive the winter, 
and make finer plants the following summer. Sow the 
seed in a shallow pan filled with light compost, and 
keep it nearly full of water. To be quite safe, sow some 
in autumn and some in spring. The plants will soon 
come up, covering the soil at first with flat seed-leaves, 
which soon send up from the base small fronds. Then 
is the time to pot them off into thumb-pots, which 
should be immersed in the water, leaving the young 
frond above the water. As they advance in growth 
give more pot-room ; the last shift need not exceed six- 
inch pots. Attend to this point—never allow the surface 
of the soil, even in the largest pots, to be above two 
inches beneath the surface of the water. I have rather 
dwelt upon the culture of this curious Fern, because of 
its being an aquatic, and an annual—two circumstances 
that rarely occur in the Fern tribe. 
G. Parkerii —(Parker’s).—Very like the preceding 
species; indeed, so much so, that it requires a botanists 
eye, and a strong magnifier, to detect a difference, that 
difference consisting in this species having an elastic 
ring to the seed-vessel. Cultivation exactly similar to 
the preceding species. Whoever can command a cistern 
of tepid water, in a moderately-heated stove, should 
grow these curious and elegant Ferns. 
Cheilanthes —The assemblage of Ferns under this 
family name are all exceedingly elegant in form and 
habit. Many of them thrive best in an intermediate 
house, not doing well in any open, airy, greenhouse, nor 
in a close, moist, warm stove. They are marked in some 
lists as warm greenhouse Ferns! but then the young 
cultivator naturally inquires, what is a warm greenhouse? 
The only answer must be, a house heated to a degree 
somewhere between an ordinary greenhouse and a stove, 
consequently an intermediate house. Large must be 
the establishment that can afford so many different 
temperatures. To overcome this difficulty, I have placed 
the more delicate species on a shelf near to the front of 
the ordinary stove, where the air apertures were placed. 
These species requiring such a situation are indicated 
by an asterisk. All such should have a large portion of 
silver sand in the compost, and be sparingly watered, 
even when freely growing, and the leaves should never 
be syringed. 
* C. hirta (Hairy).—An African Fern of great beauty. 
The fronds grow a foot long, and are covered with gland 
bearing hairs. They are thrice pinnated, the pinnae are 
delicately small, and the stems are brown. A very 
elegant Fern. 
C. lendigera (Maggot-bearing).—A decided stove 
Fern. 1 always found it thrive best in the Orchid-house. 
A more beautiful, elegant Fern is not in cultivation. It 
is not possible to say too much of its loveliness. The 
fronds are thrice cut or pinnated, growing a foot long, 
and of a most delicate green ; the pinnae, or small divi¬ 
sions, are long and narrow, and the leaves are thickly 
placed on them, and exceedingly small, also ; the seed- 
cases are few on each leaf, and are partially concealed 
by the margin reflexing half over them. It is not diffi¬ 
cult to grow; and increasing pretty freely by seed, if 
sown under a bell glass, on small porous sand stone; or 
young plants may be increased by division. 
C. microphylla (Small-leaved).—A West Indian Fern, 
with beautiful small leaves, covered moderately with 
gland bearing hairs. It is this pubescence that renders 
the species so clothed so impatient of being wetted over 
the foliage. The fronds are delicately slender, twice 
pinnated, growing two feet long, and gracefully waving 
with the least breath of air. The leaves are rather broad 
at the base, and the seed-vessels are continued round the 
edge of the leaves. It is very beautiful. 
C. radiata (Rayed).—A South American, delicate, 
lovely Fern, almost equal to G. lendigera. fronds a foot 
high; the branches are spread out, or rayed like a man’s 
hand, eacli branch is pinnated. The leaves have rather 
long foot-stalks, jointed on the base, with the margins 
scolloped out or crenated. The seed-vessels are distinct, 
not continuous, but spread out often all over the frond; 
stems black, set upon a bundled rootstock. Divides 
with difficulty, but may be raised easily from seed in the 
same way as C. lendigera. 
C. spectabilis (Showy).—This is a rather diffuse 
Brazilian Fern, attaining a considerable size. The 
fronds are thrice pinnated, growing three feet long, and 
of a beautiful light green. It is of a straggling habit, 
the fronds being so slender that they often break down 
with their own weight. It is, however, a fine hern if a 
little care is taken to support the fronds. The fronds 
are terminal, placed upon a bundled rootstock, or 
rhizoma. 
* C. tenuifolia (Slender-leaved).—This fern, from 
New Holland, is remarkable from the circumstance of 
being deciduous, that is, losing its foliage in winter, 
this renders it somewhat difficult to cultivate, because 
of the transition from a growing state to a resting 
one. The only way to overcome this difficulty is to give 
but little water during its quiescent stategive only 
just enough to keep the roots alive; and whilst at rest, 
keep it much cooler. The frond is thrice pinnated, 
about a foot long. The leaves are long and sharp- 
pointed, slightly turned upwards at the edges. The 
stems are brown and scaly, a varied circumstance m 
this genera. Increases readily by division of the 
creeping rhizoma. T- Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
OLD FRUITS AND THEIR DECAY. 
It is fortunate for the well-being of society that ex¬ 
posures of impositions should now and then take place, 
at the same time, it not unfrequently happens that 
unjust condemnation follows in the wake ol an article, 
which, though not without some merits, had beeD puffed 
up to the world as possessed of every good point which 
constituted “ perfection.” Aware of the difficulty of 
pleasing every one, most respectable houses have been 
cautious, when issuing anything new, to give it no 
more merit than what they confidently believed it 
deserved; yet, now and then, an experienced hand may 
be caught erring, and an inexorable public are no ways 
sparing of their censures. As examples of this, let us 
turn to the St. Albans Grape, the Aberdeen Beehive 
Strawberry, and, probably, the Stanwicle Nectanne. 
this latter, however, 1 speak merely from report the 
inefficiency of the others I have proved. 
Now, I must say that it is wrong on the part ol the 
public to pass an unqualified condemnation on those by 
whose authority these fruits were issued, for many con¬ 
curring circumstances might tend to give the identical 
fruits submitted to them a degree of merit, which, in 
o-eueral, they did not possess; besides which, however 
keen and discriminating the taste of those to whom 
they were submitted might be, they must be something 
