196 THE COTTAGE GARDENER, J UNE 19 
good credit, that it groweth in divers places of the west 
country of England.” Parkinson had heard it “reported 
that it is found in Gloucestershire.” Ray, in 1086, 
says, “it rarely or never occurs in England ; ” nor was it 
known for certainty that it is a native of this country 
until found by Air. Llhwyd (Lloyd) at Barry Island 
and Porth Kirig, in Glamorganshire, about the year 
1700, and it was first announced in the third edition 
j of Ray’s Synopsis Metliodica Stirpium Britanicarum 
(vol. i. 123.), published in 1724. 
Root black, scaly, and with wiry, fibrous rootlets, 
j Fronds usually six inches high, but under favourable 
culture twice that height; evergreen in sheltered situa¬ 
tions, but usually dying in winter and reappearing in 
May. Stipe, or stem, of the frond, slender and dark 
purple, the lower half of its length without leaflets. The 
^ branches of the stem are very slender, and alternately on 
j opposite sides of it, and the leaflets are similarly placed 
i on the branches. Leaflets irregularly fan-shaped; the 
fertile leaflets deeply cut on their edges, and the barren 
leaflets sharply-toothed. They are all of a pale, semi- 
transparent, bright green colour, and having doubly- 
branched veins. The fructification forms a kind of 
margin to the lobes of the fertile leaflets, and when perfect 
in July becomes of a deep brown, as shown on the 
magnified leaflet in our drawing. 
This Fern is 0 / rare occurrence in this country, being 
found chiefly in our mildest and moistest districts, Devon, 
Cornwall, South Wales, and Ireland. It has been 
found, however, on the Islands of Arran, and on the 
banks of the Carron, in Scotland. Much more abun¬ 
dantly docs it occur in the warmer countries of Europe, 
j northern Africa, Asia, and North America. 
Culture. — Although a native of Great Britain, yet it 
i is only found here in moist, sheltered situations; and, 
i therefore, it is useless to attempt to grow it upon ordi- 
i nary roekwork in the open air. It requires to be cul- 
| tivaled under glass in a moist, moderately warm air. 
The soil it prefers is formed of limy rubbish, pebbles, 
and sand in equal proportions. 
It is said, by Mr. Houlston and Mr. Moore, that in 
the warmer climate of the south of Europe, the Channel 
Islands, and Madeira, this Fern attains the height of 
eighteen inches, and is then called Adiantum Moritzi- 
anum ; but our native plant, if cultivated in a moist 
stove with a high temperature, will produce fronds of 
magnitude equal to those from the south of Europe or 
Madeira, with which they are precisely identical. 
Adiantum. Camer. Epit. 921. Matth. Comm. ii. 542. Fuclis. Hist. 
82. Dad. Pempt. 469 . Label. Ic. 809 . Label. Ohs. 4/1, Cod. Mid. 
iiii. Turn. Hist. 
A. magnum. Tragus Stirp. 52. 
Adiantum sive Capillus veneris. Bauhin Hist. in. p. ”51. Rati. Hist. 
i. 11 ". Daleeh. Lugd. 
Adiantum. Cordus in Dinsc. 
Capillus veneris, vul^o Adiantum album Plinii. Coesalp. de Plantis. 
Capillus veneris verus. Ger. Herb. 982 , Ger. Herb. cm. 1143. Rati 
Syn. iii. 123. 
Adiantum vulgare, Capillus veneris. Dale. Phar. 71. 
Adiantum verum sivc Capillus veneris. Park. Herb. 1049. 
Adiantum fontanum. Gray. Arr. ii. 17 . 
Adiantum euneifolium. Stakes in Rat. Mag. iv. 012 . 
Adiantum officinis, Capillus veneris. Rauwolf Hodoep. i, c. 4. p. 63 . 
Adiantum sive Capillus veneris verus. Label. Advers. 361 . 
j Capillus porcinus. Amcenuee. 
j Adiantum gullieeum. Bauhin in Matth. 
Uses. —In the days of the old herbalists the true 
Maiden-hair 'Fern was considered not only efficacious 
in many diseases, but especially potent in promoting 
length of tresses, and to this attributed power it owes 
its name, both among the Latins and the moderns. So 
succulent are the leaves, that under strong pressure 
they yield about three-fourths of their weight of juice. 
This juice gave the name to a well-known syrup— 
Capillaire. If this has any medicinal virtue it arises 
from the Orange-flower water forming one of its ingre¬ 
dients. 
To Make Capillaire. — Maidenhair leaves five 
ounces; Liquorice-root, peeled and sliced, two ounces; 
boiling-water five pints. Let them remain for six 
hours; strain, and then add thirteen pounds of the 
finest loaf sugar, and one pint of Orange-flower water. 
SUMMER CULTURE OF HARDY FRUITS. 
The Peach and Nectarine. —By the time this 
reaches the readers of The Cottage Gardener, fruit- 
trees of all kinds will be in full vigour, and will require 
more attention than at any period during the summer. 
Time lost now cannot bb regained by any possible 
amount of assiduity; indeed, the fate of the tree, as to 
the ensuing year, may be said to be sealed before Mid¬ 
summer. Were the proper amount of a proper attention 
given in due time, wo should hear little about bad 
setting in the spring ; and with a system of retardation, 
commenced as soon ns the sun in the end of January 
had any sensible influence on the buds of trees, we 
should hear much less of Orchard-houses. Not that I 
despise the latter; but that I feel assured such can 
never, under existing circumstances, be made to stock 
our markets; and the stocking of these in a proper 
way may, 1 think, be assumed as the true ground-work 
of all hardy fruit-culture. 
Peach and Nectarines. —No trees require more dis¬ 
budding than these; and being a subject easily offended, 
the process must be so performed as not to interfere 
suddenly with such a habit. However, the first, if not 
the second, removal of loose spray will have been accom¬ 
plished; and such having been the case, it is the best 
practice to take care that every shoot not required bo 
removed at a final thinning just before Midsummer. 
Immediately on the heels of this the nailing may be 
done ; indeed, a little tacking in of strong shoots will be 
needed earlier. And here let mo advert to the great 
propriety of pinching all gross shoots as early in June 
as possible : herein lies the secret of equality in the 
wood. 
Pears. —These are grown by a variety of plans, more 
especially as to training. We train them here much on 
the horizontal plan, and, as I have ol’t observed in these 
pages, tie down abundance of short-jointed, young spray 
annually on the old branches. We feel assured, that 
where labour is a consideration, it is next to im¬ 
possible more to simplify Pear-culture. Where such 
is practised, much disbudding is requisite in the earlier 
part ot June; the operator removing all the grosser 
shoots. lor my part, having a considerable extent of 
Rears under the above mode of training, I generally, 
alter one severe disbudding, run the hedge-shears over 
them ; but this is not until tho shoots are eight or ten 
inches long; this, of course, is done to prevent too 
much shading through the abundance of foliage. But 
here, lest those who prefer other modes of training 
fancy my trees under this tying-down system are a 
uniform mass of foliage, J beg to say that such is not 
