THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION, December 16, 1856. 177 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
D 
W 
DECEMBER 16 — 22 , 1856. 
Weather n 
Barometer. 
ear Lon 
Thermo. 
DON IN 
Wind. 
1855. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.&S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bf. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
16 
To 
Chaffinches flock. 
30.251—29.183 
47—29 
w. 
00 
3 a. 8 
49 a. 3 
9 6 
19 
3 
£6 
351 
17 
w 
Ember Week. 
30.086—30.035 
43—35 
N.E. 
00 
4 
49 
10 21 
20 
3 
26 
352 
18 
Th 
Marsh Titmouse sings. 
30.214—30.075 
40—21 
N.E. 
00 
6 
50 
11 33 
21 
2 
67 
353 
19 
F 
Tachyporus chrysomelinus. 
30.264—30.180 
32—20 
E. 
00 
5 
50 
morn. 
c 
2 
27 
354 
20 
s 
Sun’s declination, 23° 27's. 
30.093—30.918 
32—17 
E. 
00 
6 
60 
0 42 
23 
1 
5 7 
355 
21 
Sdn 
4 Sdn. in Adv. St. Thomas. 
29-803—29.702 
26—11 
E. 
00 
6 
61 
1 52 
24 
1 
27 
356 
22 
M 
Tachyporus pubescens. 
29.895—29.795 
29- 9 
N.W. 
10 
7 
51 
3 4 
25 
0 
57 
357 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 46.5°, and 34.5°, respectively. The greatest heat, 58°, occurred on the l6th, in 1849 ; and the lowest cold, 7°, 
on the 16 th, in 1853. During the period 97 days were fine, and on 99 rain fell. 
POLYPO'DIUM CALCA'REUM. 
This, by modern botanists, was confounded with P. 
dryopteris ; but, though much resembling, there is no 
reasouable doubt of their being two distinct species. 
Root, dark brown, but stouter and less widely creeping 
than that of P. dryopteris. Its rootlets are almost black, 
scattered, and wiry. The stem of each frond is firm and 
stiff, varying in height from six to eighteen inches, and 
nearly two-thirds of its length being without leaflets. 
The stalks of the two lower leaflets are so much more 
stout than the stalks of those above them, that some 
botanists consider them as two branches, and call it a 
three-branched Fern. The unleafleted portion of the 
stem is stout, pale, very scaly, and bearing numerous 
small, stalked glands. These glands are found also on 
the leaflets, and give the whole plant a mealy aspect. 
The general outline of the frond is nearly equilateral 
triangular. Leaflets opposite ; the lower ones, in very 
luxuriant specimens, have leafits alternate and deeply 
cut (pinuatifid). The upper leaflets are only deeply cut, 
or lobed; but the edges of both leafits and lobes are 
scolloped and fringed with very small, stalked glands. 
Each leafit and lobe has a wavy mid-vein, from which 
proceed very regularly, in pairs, lateral or side-veins; 
these side-veins are also very regularly forked, and on 
the upper branch of each fork, about midway between 
the edge of the leafit or lobe and its mid-vein, is a 
circular mass of fructification. The masses become 
brown and crowded as they ripen. The colour of the 
entire frond is a very distinguishing mealy, dark green. 
It is found only on a limestone soil (whence its 
specific name, calcareum), on mountainous heaths, and 
in wooded places. We are not aware of its being found 
native in either Ireland or Scotland; but in England it 
grows about Matlock Bath, and on the road-side under 
the Lover’s Leap at Buxton, in Derbyshire ; at Sheddin 
Clough, near Burnley, and near Lancaster ; at ArnclifF, 
Gordale, White Scars, near Ingleton, and near Settle, in 
Yorkshire; on Cheddar Cliffs and Box Quarries, near 
Bath, in Somersetshire; and in Leigh Woods, near 
Bristol. 
This is not a newly-discovered Fern, for it was known 
to Clasius, Tabernasmontanus, and Gerarde; but it was 
first recognised as a native of England by the late 
President of the Linnsean Society, Sir J. E. Smith. It 
has been described by botanists under the following 
names :—Gymnocarpium Robertianum, Lastrcca calcarca, 
and L. Robertiana, Phegopteris calcarea, and Polypo¬ 
dium Robertianum. In Johnson’s edition of Gerardes 
Herbal it is figured and described as Dryopteris Tragi 
In Euglish it is known as the Limestone Polypody , 
Rigid three-branched Polypody, and Smith's Fern. 
Mr. W. Reeve says that this Fern, like the P. alpestre , 
is a desirable species for cultivation, and is very scarce. 
It is pretty, and may be very successfully treated. It 
will be found to prefer, and, in fact, will not do in am 
other than, a free, open compost, composed of fibry 
peat, loam, and vegetable mould, equalised to form two 
parts, and very old mortar and free lime or sand¬ 
stone for the other two parts, with a free addition of 
i-i 
No. CCCCXX1X, you xm 
