124 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, November 25, 185C. 
In Ireland, at Mucruss Abbey; at Castlebar, in Mayo, 
and in Kelly’s Glen, county of Dublin. 
In Wales, near Llyn Traffwll, in the turbary at 
Trewilmot, near Holyhead. 
The first notice of this “ flower - crowned Prince of 
British Perns” is in the edition of Gerarde's Herbal 
of 1597. He says, “It groweth in the midst of a bog, 
at the further end of Hampstead Heath, from London, 
at the bottome of a hill adjoyning to a small cottage, 
and in divers other places; as also upon divers bogges 
on a heath or common neere unto Bruntwood, in 
Essex, especially neere unto a place there that some 
have digged, to the end to find a nest or mine of 
gold; but the birds were over fledge, and fiowne 
away, before their wings could be clipped.” 
The root of this Fern was considered by ancient phy¬ 
sicians, “especially the heart, or middle part thereof,”as 
a powerful remedy if applied to wounds. That “ middle 
part, ’ says Gerarde, “ hathe beene called the heart of 
Osmund the Waterman.” 
Dodoens, in 1583, was the first to call this Fern by 
the name of Osmund ; and, as Dodoens was a Fleming, 
we might expect from Flanders to ascertain the origin 
of this name; but it remains unexplained. Parkinson 
says it was called “ Osmunda regalis, of the singular 
properties therein;” but whether he refers to the first 
or second word of the name is not specified. Osmund, 
in Anglo-Saxon, is “ House-peaceat least, so says 
Camden; and “ House-peace royal ” may have reference 
to its then credited powers as a vulnary. 
Wordsworth, with a poet’s license, but no authority, 
thus speaks of this Fern :— 
“ Fair Ferns and flowers, and chiefly that tail Fern, 
So stately, of the Queen Osmunda named ; 
Plant lovelier, in its own retired abode, 
On Grasmere’s beach, than Naiad by the side 
Of Grecian brook, or Lady of the Mere, 
Sole-sitting by the shores of old romance.” 
Another poet anonymously refers to the same plant 
I as follows:— 
“ Auld Botany Ben was wont to jog 
Thro’ rotten slough and quagmire bog, 
Or brimfull dykes and marshes dank 
Where Jack-a-Lanterns play and prank. 
To seek a cryptogameous store 
Of Moss, of Carex, and Fungus hoare, 
Of Ferns and Brakes, and such-like sights, 
As tempt out scientific wights 
On winter’s day; but most his joy 
Was finding what’s called Osman Hoy." 
This most noble of all the British Ferns, being so 
distinct from all others, and being so easily cultivated, 
should not be absent from any collection. Mr. W. 
Reeve says that it will be found to delight in a compost 
of three-parts fibry peat and one of vegetable mould, 
with a tree admixture of silver sand. If grown in a pot, 
which must be large, or other confined space, it must 
have good drainage, and an abundant and continuous 
supply of water. With a moderate space for its roots it 
makes a noble-looking plant. For open-air culture it 
prefers a damp, shady situation, and in the compost as 
lor pot-culture it will thrive and do well. It may be 
also grown in exposed situations with an abundant 
supply of water through the summer months. In such 
an exposure it will not produce nearly such fine fronds 
as in one more shaded; yet, if a constant supply of water 
and good drainage can be secured, it will do remarkably 
well. We have also grown this Osmunda very success¬ 
fully in a stove temperature, where it will, with plenty 
of light, form also a pleasing object. It is too large for 
a Wardian case. It may be increased by sowing its 
seeds, and also by division ; but by its seeds is the best 
mode. 
PRUNING CURRANT-TREES. 
I now proceed with what is termed “ Bush-fruit,” and 
will take the Currants as a group, which, as the world 
knows, includes the Red, and White, and Black. The 
treatment of the Black kinds is almost diametrically 
opposite to that of the Red and White ; but still I will 
treat of them as a group. The latter class produce most 
of their fruit on what are called spurs—those little 
short-jointed bunches, or constellations of buds, with 
which the main branches of fruitful Currant-bushes arc 
sure to be studded. Sometimes, however, the young or 
annual growth produces blossom-spurs; but this is 
generally when the trees get old, or when they are 
weakly, and is more frequent with the White than the 
Red varieties, which, in general, grow more luxuriantly 
than the White. The production of blossom-buds on the 
young shoots, however, forms not the prime object of 
the judicious pruner. 
Currants, like Gooseberries, are generally propagated 
by cuttings. These are selected from the very strongest 
and straightest shoots of the last growth, and are, for 
ordinary purposes, from twelve to fourteen inches in 
length, about four or five inches being thrust in the 
soil. For special cases the shoots must, of course, be 
longer accordingly. From the cuttings spring a few 
shoots, which, being pruned back at the rest period, 
produce sufficient to form a regular bush in the ensuing 
season. About five or six are selected at the next 
pruning period, and these are chosen in such a way as 
to form a kind of ring, leaving the middle tolerably 
open, for there should not be a centre branch if it can 
be avoided; the middle of the bush being kept studi¬ 
ously open for about a foot at each pruning period, 
affords what may be termed breathing space for the 
surrounding branches. A good bush is generally com¬ 
posed of about eight or nine branches. These are 
amply sufficient; indeed, if well furnished with fruit, as 
much as the branches can afford to bear'. 
Now, the centres of the bushes become annually 
filled up with young spray, which it is the pruner’s 
business to reduce; and this is the first stage in the 
process of pruning. Those who cultivate Red and 
White Currants as they ought to do take care to 
summer-prune in July the watery breast-shoots, which 
are abundantly produced in the sides of the branches, 
emanating chiefly from the clusters of spurs, to which 
there is little doubt they are of much service within 
certain limits, as sustaining their vitality; or, in other 
words, of serving not only to attract the ascending 
sap, but also to contribute, by the elaborative process, 
towards the maturation of the fruit. However, these 
must be shortened, and I must here say how. On a 
close examination of them it will be seen that most 
have a spur, or a rising group of buds of fruitful 
character, at their base, and that about three quarters of 
an inch of that portion of the wood is very different in 
character from the upper portion, the latter having simply 
wood-buds, the former blossom-buds, or, at least, 
designed by nature to become so. These, by different 
pruners, are kept of different lengths; some cutting 
them within half an inch of their base, in order to 
prevent them “ running to wood; ” others leaving them 
