8 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 6. 
II. speciosa (Showy).—A South American Fern of 
large dimensions. The veins of this species are pin- 
natifid, the lowest pair running up from the mid-rib to 
the edge of the leaf, the next pair are placed above 
them, running parallel, and also to the margin, and at 
the end of each vein may be seen the beautiful cup- 
: shaped seed-vessel, with its tiny pyramid of seeds. The 
j fronds are pinnate, four to six feet high, and each 
pinnae is more than a foot long, and nearly two inches 
j broad, these fronds are placed upon a tree-like stem, 
j which in their native home is often twenty feet high, 
i The one at Kew is as yet only about three feet. 
| The other species known in Britain are H. gran- 
: m folia, Trinidad; H. Hostmand, Guiana; and H. 
horrida. This last is covered with aculeate or prickly 
scales, very formidable things to encounter in passing J 
through the forests of Jamaica. The whole genus must 
he increased by seed, though sometimes a young plant 
is produced at the base of an old leaf amongst the scales; 
when that happens, tie a little moss just under the 
sprouting young plant, and as soon as roots arc produced 
cut it off' and plant it in a small pot placed under a bell- 
glass till fairly established. 
HYPOLEPIS. 
A collection of Ferns, formed into a genus of this 
name, from Chilianthus and Polypodium. The name 
is derived from hypo (under) and lepis (a scale), the 
seeds being under or concealed hy a scaly covering. 
H. repens (Creeping).—A strong-growing Fern, from 
the West Indies. In large stoves, where plants of dense 
foliage are wanted to hide any object in shady places, no 
I era is so useful as this. Although it may be regarded 
as a coarse-growing Fern, yet the soft coloured light 
green foliage is very pleasing. I have cultivated it under 
the stages ot the stove to hide the hot-water pipes, and 
against naked walls with the best effect. There is a 
variety with curled leaves, more curious than beautiful; 
I named it Grispum, hut some authors call it II. repens 
difforme. 
I he fronds of the species grow three or four feet high, 
and one of the form is called decompound, that is, rami¬ 
fied into many compounds or branchlets. The whole 
plant is covered with soft, gland-hearing hairs, which 
give the plant a silky appearance. Increases freely hy 
dividing the freely creeping rhizoma. 
LEPTOGRAMMA. 
A lovely genus of Ferns, formed hy Mr. Smith, of Kew, 
from Gymnogramma. Name derived from leptos (slen¬ 
der) and gramma (writing) ; the seed-vessels behm long 
and slender, like fine writing. 
L. villosum (Hairy).—ABrazillianFern, of the neatest 
habit and most regular form, in respect to leaves, veins, 
and seed-cases, of any l?ern known. It is nearly allied 
, to Gymnogramma, hut differs from it hy having the veins 
and seed-vessels in simple straight lines. Fronds hairy 
twice divided or bipinnated, growing two feet long- the 
pmnffi are regularly and oppositely disposed on each side 
of the stem, and the veins are arranged on each side of 
the midrib, like the hones from the main back-hone in 
a herring. Then the sori or seed-cases are as regularly 
| disposed on the veins towards the lower part of each 
j pinna. Such an elegant Fern ought to be in every col - 
! lection. It is the only species grown in this country, and 
I is exceedingly rare, though it may he increased hy di- 
| viding the creeping rhizoma or root-stock. 
LITOBEOCKIA. 
A genus formerly arranged under Pteris, and allied to 
Loryopteris, from both genera, distinguished principally 
by its netted veins. The species are rather nume¬ 
rous, and are chiefly from the hotter regions of the world, 
hence they require a considerably high temperature. I 
shall only particularly mention one, namely, 
L. leftophylla (Slender-leaved).—I have grown this 
Brazillian Fern many years, hut always found that to 
do it well it was necessary to keep it constantly in the 
Orchid-house. Sterile fronds, almost triangular bipin- 
nate and tripinnate at the base; pinnae light greyish- 
green, linear, and cut at the margin into thorny, teeth¬ 
like forms. Fertile fronds erect, with the seed-vessels 
running in a continuous line on the margin of the 
leaves. A beautiful Fern, increased only, hut freely, by 
seeds. T. Appleby. 
(To he continued .) 
THE PEACH. 
In the present age of progress and improvement, it is 
often one of the first questions a tyro asks, when any 
meritorious production is presented to him, “ What was 
the condition of this article a few years back?” This 
question, fortunately, gives room for a favourable answer 
in many things, yet there are others in which it would 
be difficult to say if any advance had taken place at all; 
and, which is worse, it is to he feared there has been a 
retrograde movement even in some of every-day use, 
aud in others the united skill of the most affluent of the 
community has failed to advance a single step for 
a whole generation. 
Ask the epicure whether the skill of the breeder, and 
the improvements of mechanical science, have been able 
to turn out a better cheese than w r as made in the time of 
our grandfathers, or, it might he, some generations 
before that? It may he true that we have mechanical 
tests of the qualities of such things, whereby the various 
degrees of merit would he handed down with accuracy 
to another period; and the human taste is hardly a 
j sufficient guarantee between the merits of rival pro- 
! ductions that presented themselves some half century or 
i more apart; but, on the other hand, we have some 
tests which display, in unmistakeable language, that a 
decided and startling advance has taken place; and, in 
some few instances, as positive a proof to the contrary. 
Amongst the latter, I will only instance one to which 
the public, I mean the wealthy portion of it, has 
always paid great attention, although it is one only 
i entitled, hy way of illustration, to he noticed here. 
Can any one affirm that the speed of race-horses has 
| increased any the last hundred years? Aud when it is 
considered the great amount of patronage they have 
received, the improvements, or expected improvements, 
in the breeding, training, food, saddlery, and the other 
minutite connected therewith, and the great interests 
always at stake, it certainly becomes a matter no way 
complimentary to he told that horses ran quite as fast 
a hundred years ago as at the present time; yet such 
has been the case ; and here we have a proof of the fact 
in the figures of time which it took to perform a certain 
distance then as well as now. 
Now, though many garden productions have wonder¬ 
fully improved since the beginning of the present 
century, there are others of the greatest possible im¬ 
portance which have not made any advance at all. Of 
this latter class is one of the most useful fruits we have, 
and one second, perhaps, to none in the estimation in 
which it is held. 1 mean the Peach, which certainly 
has in no way improved during the life-time of the most 
aged amongst us; and I think everyone will affirm, 
that as fine fruit was produced in the time of their boy¬ 
hood as at the present day, notwithstanding the various 
auxiliary helps which science has stepped in to secure. 
Now, where such a popular fruit has been in cultivation 
amongst us for such a lengthened period without im¬ 
provement, it naturally gives rise to the little, hut 
