July 4.] THE COTTAGE 
figured by being covered witli deposited moisture, while 
the close and sultry atmosphere elongates and weakens 
the footstalk of the berry, and is thus one of the predis¬ 
posing causes for the evils ot shanking, shrivelling, &c. 
Watering .—This will bo required at the root in dry 
weather; manure-water of any kind and quality they 
will greedily devour. This, if not more successful, is 
more refined to men's general feelings than filling a 
border for vines with rank garbage—such as the car¬ 
cases of animals of all sorts and sizes. As to watering 
over head, we recommend the disuse of the syringe and 
engine as soon as the buds are fairly broken. Moisture 
in the atmosphere may sufficiently be maintained by 
watering the stages and floor of the house. If that 
great pest, the red spider, makes his appearance, he 
should be dislodged by lighting a fire in a dull night, 
and painting the Hues and pipes with a solution ot 
water and flowers of sulphur. If in a Hue, be careful 
that you put none of the sulphur near to where the fine 
enters, as it ignites at a comparatively low temperature, 
and then will kill everything green in the vegetable 
,„ n , r R. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
Exotic Ferns. — A correspondent having asked lor in¬ 
formation on the culture of these most interesting plants, 
we are induced to make our reply to our correspondent 
a general one, for the benefit of such ot our readers as 
either now, or may hereafter, cultivate these beautiful 
ornaments of our stoves. We know from experience 
that the love of them is on the increase, and no wonder, 
for their beauty and delicacy are unquestionably great. 
It is not the least recommendation of them, that a large 
number of them will grow in situations where most 
other plants would not exist; that is, in the deepest 
shade under other plants, and on shelves at the back of 
a loan-to house. With these few preliminary remarks 
wo proceed to describe their culture. 
Soil .—Ferns love a light rich compost composed of 
fibrous loam, turfy peat, and rotten leaf mould ; _ the 
whole broken well with the hand and thoroughly mixed 
with a considerable amount of silver sand. For very 
small plants it will be desirable to run the compost 
through a sieve with a moderately small mesh. For 
large plants it is desirable to use it without sifting. 
Drainage .—This point of culture is almost of as much 
importance to ferns as to orchids. They will not thrive 
long in a sour ill-drained soil. Ihe best material to 
drain with is broken potsherds, the larger pieces at the 
bottom of the pot, and then a layer of the smaller ones, 
covering them with some moss or rough siftings of the 
compost. Some of the more delicate kinds will thrive 
better if the compost is mixed with the smallest potsherds. 
This will keep the soil porous throughout; a point ol 
consequence to these delicate rooted plants. 
Polling .—The spring time of the year is the best 
season for potting; and as the plants fill the pots with 
roots, they ought to be repotted in the middle of summer. 
Free growing kinds may require potting three times in 
the growing season. The operator must be guided by 
the requirements of the plants, as to the number ol times 
potting would be advantageous to them. 
Watering .—The strong spocies require abundance of 
water during the growing season. At all times they 
must never be allowed to become quite dry. In this 
point they considerably resemble the tribe ot Heaths, 
for if once allowed to become thoroughly dry, their death 
is almost certain. It is desirable, then, to attend closely 
to their demands for water. They delight, also, in a 
moist atmosphere. Hence the climate ol the oichul- 
house suits them admirably, especially in the spiing 
mouths. In this house they will bo useful to fill up a 
GARDENER. * 11 
space that without them would be void and naked. We 
have mentioned frequently that there are considerable 
numbers of orchids that are best cultivated in baskets, 
and so grown they necessarily require a large quantity 
of water whilst in a growing state. Now, the drip from 
these baskets will be considerable, and the orchids in 
pots will be injured, almost to death, by such dripping of 
water on their young growths. Not so the ferns, they will 
bear it with impunity, excepting the more delicate kinds. 
This place under the orchids in baskets, therefore, may 
be very elegantly and very effectively filled with the 
stronger growing species of ferns, and the drip from the 
orchids in baskets, or on logs of wood, will bo advan¬ 
tageous to them. 
General Management .—In winter give a moderate sup¬ 
ply of water; remove all decaying fronds (the branchy 
leaves), and refresh occasionally by a top dressing. In 
spring pot the plants, and increase the quantity of water at 
the root, syringing them occasionally during hot weather. 
In summer we have found it advantageous to remove 
them into a deep cold pit, shading them with mats from 
the sun. In- this situation they obtain a stout strong 
growth, which enables them to bear a diminution of heat 
through the non-growing months of winter. 
Like all other large families of plants, the Ferns are best 
in a bouse devoted to their culture alone. In the Shef¬ 
field Botanic Garden, a house of considerable dimensions 
is assigned principally to this beautiful tribe of plants. 
In this house they are, or were very lately, cultivated in 
such a manner as to assimilate in a great degree to 
their native solitudes. Rustic arches, formed of branches 
of trees, were covered witli the smaller species, und 
the stronger ones were planted in the soil; their luxu¬ 
riance of growth showed that they were quite at home. 
The growth was greatly aided by a trickling fall of water 
into a small pool, over which rustic arches were thrown, 
covered with the elegant forms which those lovely plants 
assume. A somewhat similar mode of growing them 
may be seen in the garden of J. Anderson, Esq., of The 
Holme, Regent’s Park. Ardent lovers of plants will 
find the culture of Ferns in a house expressly devoted 
to them a source of great enjoyment. Ever varying, 
ever new, is the appearance of these plants. 
Propagation .—A considerable number of the species 
of Ferns are easily propagated by division. They send 
forth a creeping rliizoma, or root-shoot, which puts forth 
roots for itself; and may then be divided with a sharp 
knife from the parent, potted into small pots, and kept 
in the shade till established. Others produce on the 
leaves a kind of knot, which, when tolerably matured, 
may bo cut off with a portion of the frond, and placed 
upon the surface of the soil in a pot covered with 
a bell-glass. In this situation the knots quickly put 
forth roots, and become independent plants. I here are, 
however, several species that neither put forth a running 
rliizoma nor leaves capable of producing plants. Such 
unmanageable fellows must be humoured in their habits. 
The only mode in such cases to increase them is by seeds, 
or sporules, whichever they may be ; but as it is an un¬ 
doubted fact, that young ferns do spring from these, it 
is of little consequence whether we call them seeds or 
plants in embryo sporules, as they arc termed in tho 
language of botanists. It is from this dust-liko sub¬ 
stance that young plants are produced when in a proper 
situation, in moist hothouses ferns spring up spon¬ 
taneously from those seeds or sporules, in every situation 
that is damp and shady. This we must imitate when 
we wish to increase any particular species. 
Very lately wo saw a successful hit of this kind. In 
tho gardens at Ivow there is a propagating house lor 
woody stove plants. There is a platform in the centre, 
and two narrow shelves at the sides; underneath these 
shelves a second shelf has been put up, and covered with 
a rather strong loam. Upon this a quantity of the spo- 
