June 0. 
THE COTTAGE GARDE NEE. 
181 
to an airy greenhouse whero, during the winter, they 
may have an average night temperature of 45°. As 
the advancing power of the sun, in early spring, swells 
the incipient dower-buds, they will relish sprinklings of 
tepid water after breakfast-time. The common treat¬ 
ment of the greenhouse will then suit them. When in 
bloom, it will be preserved longer by keeping them a 
little shaded, but the colour will not be near so bright. 
As that fades, a close place in the greenhouse or the 
; cold pit, as detailed above, will be their position. A 
I little weak manure-water may be given when in bloom 
; and making their growth, but clear soft water at other 
J times. As in the case of many other plants from the 
same regions, success greatly depends, first, on early 
fresh growth, so that, secondly, that growth is well I 
matured before the dark, muggy days of autumn set in. ( 
R. Fish. 
THE FERNS. 
Many of the readers of The Cottage Gardener 
cultivate Ferns, and several correspondents have made, 
at different times, application for some information on 
their culture. As I have had, for several years, a large 
collection under my care, and have been tolerably sue- ! 
cessful, both in propagating them, and afterwards grow¬ 
ing them, I trust my remarks, the result of experience, j 
will be found useful to growers, and interesting to all : 
our readers. 
Though this class of plants has no floral charms, 
yet they possess an elegant beauty peculiarly their own. 
The leaves, or, as they are called, their fronds, have, in 
most cases, a light feathery appearance that is exceed¬ 
ingly pleasing, and the green of every shade on theso 
plants is remarkably fresh and tender. Some of them, 
as the Gold and Silver Ferns, arc not to be despised 
even for that quality florists so much admire—colour. 
The Golden Fern (Chjmnog ramma chrysophylla) has the 
under sides of its leaves of a fine bright orange, or 
golden colour, which always strikes the spectator with 
unexpected pleasuro ; and the Silver Fern ( Gymno - 
gramma tartarica) is equally beautiful, or even more so, 
from the clear pure white of its spores, or bundles of 
seed, on the under side of the leaf. There is, indeed, 
such an elaborate and minute finish in this interesting 
tribe of plants, displaying such wondrous attention and 
power by the Divine Architect of all things, that the 
mind of any human being must be in a deplorable 
state that does not feel pleasurable and grateful emotions 
on viewing these, comparatively speaking, humble 
adornments of our happy world—for “it is a happy 
world, after all.” Many a bosky dell—many an exposed 
rock—would lose its attractive charms without these 
charming plants. 
Then their geographical distribution is most remark¬ 
able They clothe the Alpine rocks of the temperate 
i portions of the globe, and ornament the thickets and 
jungles of the torrid zone. They flourish in wet bogs, 
and grow plentifully on dry hedge-banks. They grow 
in the hottest, and almost the coldest, portions of the 
globe, clothing what, in their absence, would be the 
dreariest waste. 
Every country yet discovered has its Ferns. In some 
they attain a considerable magnitude, approaching al¬ 
most to the size of timber trees. So large, indeed, are 
they, especially in New Zealand, us to acquire the name 
of Tree Ferns ; whilst, in other instances, they are so 
small, that a single plant does not occupy above an 
inch in space even when fully grown. 
This large distiibution over the world brings them 
within the power of every ono possessing the smallest 
garden, a short distance from large, smoky towns, to cnl- j 
tivate them ; and 1 am happy to find a large number of i 
admirers of plants are growing, and commencing to 
grow, them in various parts of the civilised world. J 
The cultivator of Ferns shows that the love of plants [ 
is strong within him; for, as may be truly observed, 
they are not so showy and attractive as many other j 
plants, their beanty being of a different order; but ; 
there is this advantage about them, that they may be | 
grown where few other plants will thrive, only taking 
care to plant suitable species for any peculiar position. 
This information I shall particularly endeavour to im¬ 
part through this essay. 
I scarcely need mention, that a Fern, whose natural 
home is in shady, damp places, would not exist if 
planted on a fully-exposed, dry situation ; neither would 
such species as are found in the clefts of the rugged \ 
rocks succeed if planted in a close, damp place, it is 
the want of a due attention to the various habitats 
where Ferns grow wild that many species die when 
attempted to be grown on quite different situations 
and soils. 
It is a remarkable fact, that there are no Ferns from 
warm countries that will thrive well in the open air of ■ 
this country, even in summer; whilst many of our 
British Ferns will grow prodigiously in our hothouses. ! 
There is one Fern, Asplenium marinnm, found on rocks i 
on the shores of this country, that will not grow well ; 
inland, unless it is grown, at least, in a greenhouse, and 
in the stove it flourishes with a luxuriousness never 
seen in its most favourable native locality. 1 have 
seen fronds of this fine Fern, in the stove conservatory, 
at Sion FIouso, fully two feet long, whilst in the open 
air it seldom exceeds more than six inches. One more 
instance may be given in the Adiantum capillus veneris. 
This species may be seen at most of the Metropolitan 
exhibitions, in 10-inch pots, a complete bush, more 
than a foot in diameter, and nearly as high ; whilst in 
its wild state it seldom exceeds four or five inches 
across, and two or three inches high. It is a know¬ 
ledge of these peculiarities that enables the cultivator 
to produce specimens far superior, both in size and 
beauty, to sucb as are produced naturally. These in¬ 
stances of complete success in cultivating these charm¬ 
ing plants are sufficiently encouraging; and I am 
tempted to quote a proverb for the purpose of stimu¬ 
lating Fern growers, and it is this—“ What one man has 
done another may do.” 
With these preliminary remarks and observations, I 
will now describe the method I intend to follow in 
writing on Fern Culture. I shall divide them into 
three principal sections, namely— 
1st. Stove Ferns: their culture, and a catalogue. 
2nd. Greenhouse Ferns: their culture, and a catalogue. 
3rd. Hardy Ferns : their culture, and a catalogue. 
Each of these sections I shall again divide into—1st, 
Soil; 2nd, Potting; 3rd, General Management; and 
4th, Propagation. T. Appleby. 
(To he continued.) 
EXHIBITION IN THE ROYAL BOTANIC 
GARDENS, REGENT’S PARK.— May 2b, 1853. 
The day was propitious, and a numerous company 
assembled to see the beauties of Flora, notwithstanding 
it was the Derby day at Epsom. I was glad to see 
such numbers, for I am no lover of races, and was 
happy to find that so many respectable persons, qf both 
sexes, had tho good taste to prefer a visit to these beau¬ 
tiful gardens to mixing in the crowd that, no doubt, 
hurried to that scene of dissipation—the races. The 
Show was above an average one; the plants and flowers 
had a freshness about them that betokened it was the 
merry month of May. New plants were scarce; yet 
there were two or three very interesting, especially a . 
