404 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 23. 
I "rowing eighteen inches high ; leaflets long and narrow, 
! undulated, and spreading; seed-vessels small, and in 
' two ranks. Increased by dividing the bright green, 
creeping root-stock. 
G. MENisciroLitJM (Meniscium-leaved).—A tall-grow¬ 
ing Brazilian Fern, of great beauty, arising from the 
beautiful arrangement of the angulated veins. Fronds 
pinnate, growing three feet high; the leaflets are six 
inches, sharp, lance-shaped, undulated or wavy, and of 
a shining, bright green colour; seed-vessels large, often 
in two rows, and of a yellowish colour; stems bright 
green, and jointed on the creeping, scaly root-stalk. In¬ 
creased by division. A truly elegant Fern, but requires 
plenty of room to show off its beauty to advantage. 
G. piloselloides (Pilosella-like.)—A West Indian, 
low-growing, creeping Fern, suitable for rustic baskets 
to suspend in the stove. Fronds simple, sterile, 
covered with light-coloured hairs, oval-shaped, and only 
two inches high; fertile, hairy, narrower than the 
barren fronds, and grows nearly double the height; 
seed-vessels in one series, and each surrounded with 
narrow scales; root-stock slender and creeping. In¬ 
creased very readily by division. 
G. subauriculatum (Half-eared).—From the Isle of 
Luzon. The most beautiful Fern in the genus. Fronds 
pinnate, growing four feet long; leaflets long and narrow, 
bright green, and subauriculate at the base. The fronds 
being long and slender, they are pendulous; hence it is 
a grand plant for a basket. There is a plant of it at 
Kew so growing, that has nearly twenty full-grown 
fronds, some of which are nearly eight feet long, with 
a centre stem not more than eight inches long. This is 
a noble, elegant plant, and this is the way the plant 
ought to be grown to show its beauty. Increased by 
seeds only, though sometimes young plants are pro¬ 
duced on the root-stock. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
GARDEN FENCES—WALLS. 
Although it often happens that circumstances deter¬ 
mine not only the shape and size of a kitchen-garden, 
but also the description of fence by which it is sur¬ 
rounded, yet there are cases in which a choice can be 
made, and in such cases some discretion ought to be 
used, as an error run into in this respect is not so easily 
rectified as one affecting a less permanent structure ; 
and as the subject is one of great importance, the 
readers of The Cottage Gardener, will, perhaps, 
allow my entering into it more fully than on matters 
having a more transient existence; and in going through 
the subject, I will endeavour to notice some of the 
different structures or fences which have either been 
used or recommended as suitable for the purpose in 
question. 
Many years ago, I had the management of a garden 
which had been formed by a gentleman as well skilled 
in mechanical science as he was in horticulture and 
the other branches of Natural History, and in this 
garden he had introduced many novelties, or, at least, 
such as wei-e regarded so at that time ; and amongst 
others, fences and other contrivances for training fruit- 
trees were plentifully scattered about, and, certainly, the 
best substitute for a brick-wall that ever I saw was of 
His contrivance, in the shape of a wooden one of the 
ordinary height of ten or twelve feet. This wall, if it 
j might be so called, was not exactly straight, it being 
j formed in divisions of just such a length as to hold one 
\ tree, and which stood in a sort of zig-zag line to the 
general direction of the whole. Thus, for instance, 
supposing the general direction to have been from cast 
to west, then the first division of twenty or more feet 
1 (for I have forgotten the exact dimensions) presented a 
south-east aspect, while the next length would be south¬ 
west in a similar way, and the third would be full 
south, and then another south-east again, and so on; 
these breaks serving the purpose of preventing that 
onward current of cold air which it was supposed acted 
so seriously in preventing trees from bearing well or 
ripening their fruit. It is, however, proper to observe, 
that the angular positions above given were not quite so 
much as is represented by a full south-east or south¬ 
west exposure, but the general direction being, as I say, 
to have a full south aspect, the divisions were so 
arranged as to present a few points bearing east or west 
of that direction, and though the appearance was, in 
the opinion of some, rather singular, it was not un¬ 
sightly, and the trees seemed to be benefited by it. ; 
Observe, as I say, it was built of wood; a strong frame¬ 
work was set up like high posts and rails, and on the 
sunny side of these deals about one inch thick were 
secured upright, and fitting as close as they could be 
made at the time, a slender stone kerb run along the 
bottom, merely to prevent the boards from resting on 
the ground, and the top was surmounted by a sort of 
coping-board, not projecting more than two inches, 
although its width might be increased; but this I 
think is rarely called for. It was tarred over to save it 
from the effects of the weather, but paint might, perhaps, 
have proved a greater preservative, but I am not alto¬ 
gether sure of that, but of this I may speak hereafter; 
suffice it to say, that in addition to the upright frame¬ 
work which supported the boarding aforesaid, a series 
of braces were placed at the back to support it against 
the effects of trying winds, which certainly did not add 
to its appearance on that side, but they could not well 
bo done without; the front side, however, was plain and 
smooth, the upright posts, &c., being flush with the 
boarding. 
This wooden wall was covered with Pear-trees, which 
did very well on its sunny side, the back being appro¬ 
priated to Currants, &c., which did well likewise, and to 
young gardeners it formed a capital place to nail on. One 
evil, of course, it had, if it could be called an evil, the 
boards always got so much sun-dried in periods of hot 
weather as to occasion considerable openings between, 
at these times, and, consequently, admitting currents of 
air both ways; whether this was prejudicial or other¬ 
wise, I will not take upon me to say; I should feel in¬ 
clined to think that at the time such currents of air 
took place the warmth of the amosphere was such as 
to render it useful, rather than otherwise, and as the 
openings swelled up during the winter, the effects at the 
time the trees were in bloom was not felt. 
Now, though the above differs but little from the ordi¬ 
nary close paling fence, against which it is not unusual 
to train fruit-trees, yet, as it was much higher and des¬ 
tined to act as a garden wall, I here adduce it as one 
that was in existence, and answered well, and it cer¬ 
tainly as much deserved to be copied as some other 
contrivances of more recent origin, this being made, 1 
believe, in the early part of the present century, was, 
some thirty years ago, well covered with trees, and 
though it did not deserve the poetic name of being one 
of the “ wooden walls of old England,” it must now be j 
an “ old wooden wall.” 
Our readers will, perhaps, remember, that in some of 
the early numbers of “Loudon’s Gardener’s Magazine,” 
a plan was suggested of having walls built of slates, 
held together by frame-work of some kind or other, the 
slates to be made moveable, and the frame-work also, in 
order that it might be made to do duty to trees planted 
on trellisses in various places, or, when made stationary, 
it was expected that trees being planted on both sides of 
it, a considerable amount of heat would be transmitted 
through to hurry on the growth on the shady side, more 
so than would likely be done by a brick-wall; and some 
