ion 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION.— June 17, 1856. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
n 
Weather near London in 1855. 
— 
D 
JUNE 17 — 23 , 1856. 
Sun 
Sun 
Moon 
Moon’. Clock 
Day of 
M 
Barometer. Thermo. 
Wind. Rail 1 ln Rises. 
Sets. 
It. & S, 
Age. bf. Sun. 
V'ear. 
_ 
Inches. 
17 
To Nitidula marginata. 
29 . 906 — 29.698 1 59—36 
N.W. «2 14 a 3 
17 a 8 
2 15 
15 i 0 37 
1 Go 
18 
W Nitidula depressa. 
30.095—30.017 ( 58—60 
W. | 18 44 
18 
rises. 
© . o 49 
170 
19 
Th Sun’s declinat., 23° 27' n. 
30.223—30.061 61—36 
N. 1 — 44 
IS 
10 a 9 
17 ‘ 1 2 
171 
20 
F Queen Victoeia Accension. 
30.366—30.322 56—30 
N. — 44 
18 
10 45 
18 1 15 
172 
21 
S Queen Victoeia Peocl. 
30.335—30.181 61—38 
N.E. — 44 
18 
11 11 
19 1 28 
1/3 
22 
Son 5 Sunday aftee Teinity. 
30.250-30.104 ! 74-58 
N.W. — 1 45 
19 
11 31 
20 141 
1/4 
23 
M Anobium castancum. 
30.274—30.204 79—53 
K. — | 45 
19 
11 46 
21 1 54 
175 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-nine years, the average highest and lowest tern- 
peratures ol these days are 7*2./, and 50.0°, respectively. The greatest heat, 03°, occurred oji the 19th, 
in 1846; 
and the lowest cold, 35° 
uu the 17th, in 1850. During the period 102 days were tine, and on 94 
rain fell. 
HYMENOPHYLLUM TUNBRIDGENSE. 
This is popularly called “ The Tunbridge Fern," but 
by English herbalists “ 'The Filmy-leaved Fern." It 
was separated from Trichomanes by tbe late Sir J. 
E. Smith, who erected it into a genus, the striking 
characteristic of which is pointed out by tbe name 
derived from hymen, a membrane, and phyllon, a leaf. 
The root is wiry, long, slender, smooth, black, creep¬ 
ing extensively upon, rather than within the soil, and 
producing such numerous fibres as to form upon it a 
kind of turf. Fronds solitary, but numerous, rising at 
intervals along the main roots, erect, from one to three 
inches high, smooth, deep, green, filmy, semi-transparent, 
curling up as they become dry ; leafleted two-thirds of 
their length ; leaflets alternate, pointing upwards, 
variously lobed ; the lobes narrow and blunt, chiefly 
on the upper side of the leaflet, and their edgos toothed 
The fructification is cup form, nearly stalkless, at the end 
of a vein, and occupying the place of the lobe nearest 
the main stalk on the edge of a leaflet; the cover is 
formed by two slightly convex round leafits, equally 
toothed, and folding over each other. 
This Fern is not uncommon in rocky and moun- 
tainous parts of Great Britain, and is thero found 
among moss in moist, shady places. It is very plentiful 
on various rocks near Tunbridge Wells; in Devonshire, 
on rocks at Wistman’s Wood, Beekley Fall, Dunsford 
Bridgo, and other places; in Yorkshire, rarely at Green¬ 
field, near Saddleworth, and near Halifax. In Wales, 
near Cader Idris and Dolgelly. In Ireland, abnndantly 
near the Upper Lake at Killarney, and in tbe county 
of Wicklow, at Powerscourt Waterfall, Gleneree, &c- 
Mr. Lightfoot says it occurs frequently in Scotland. 
We have given an instance of the life-retentive power 
of this Fern, when mentioning the similar power 
possessed by the Celerach oflicinarum. 
This Fern was discovered by Mr. Dare, a botanist of 
the seventeenth century, and was first mentioned by 
Petiver in bis Musei Petiverani centuria prima, pub¬ 
lished in 1695. Mr. Petiver there calls it Daren Tun- 
hridgensis minor, thus commemoratiug the finder and 
the place where it was found. In the second edition of 
Ray’s Synopsis methodica stirpium Britannicarum, pub¬ 
lished in 1696, it is stated that “ this Fern was first 
shown to Mr. Ray by Mr. Newton, who, in company 
with Mr. Lawson, found it on Buzzard rough Gragg, 
near Wrenose, Westmoreland, among the moss. Dr. 
Richardson met with it upon moist rocks in Wales, and 
near Settle, in Yorkshire. It grows on the left hand 
as soon as you enter the mountains to go to the old 
castle, near Lhanboris. It was found also plentifully 
by Mr. Rand, in company with Mr. Sherard, among 
the pebbles at Cockbush, six or seven miles from Chi¬ 
chester, on the coast of Sussex.” 
The Hymenophylhtm Tunbridgense is one of the smallest 
and most interesting of all the British Ferns, and al¬ 
though we meet with it in its native slate, spreading 
over and flowering interestingly upon the exposed sur¬ 
face of rocks and stone open to the action of all kinds 
of weather, still, when we attempt to cultivate it, wo 
cannot sncceed, unless means are takon to confine a 
close, moist atmosphere about its little delicate fronds. 
It prefers being kept continually damp and warm, which 
renders it a most valuable acquisition to the Wardian 
case, where it may be grown separately, as also under a 
plain bell-glass, or may be mixed with others, which 
likewise prefer a similar situation; but whichever may 
be chosen for its cultivation, rather more care will be 
necessary in arranging it than will be required for most 
other Ferns. The situation it generally chooses for its 
I 
No. CCCCIII. Von. XV. 
