THE COTTAGE .GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, February 10, 1857. 317 
WEEKLY CALENDAR 
D 
M 
D 
W 
FEBRUARY 10 — 16 , 1857- 
Weather near London in 
Barometer. jThermo.l Wind. 
1 
1856. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moons 
Age. 
Clock 
bf. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
10 
Tu 
Queen Victoria m. 1840. 
29.962—29.923 
54—41 
s. 
_ 
26 a. 7 
4 a. 5 
6 
&6 
16 
14 
31 
41 
n 
W 
Pilewort (Ranunculus). 
29.851 —29.810 
53—42 
s.w. 
20 
24 
6 
8 
8 
17 
14 
31 
42 
12 
Th 
Henbit (Lamium). 
29.737-29.375 
50 — 43 
s.w. 
05 
22 
7 
9 
20 
18 
14 
30 
43 
13 
F 
Yew (Tuxus baccata). 
29.773—29.685 
53—43 
s. 
20 
20 
9 
10 
31 
19 
14 
29 
44 
14 
S 
Valentine. 
29.739-29.709 
54—40 
s.w. 
02 
18 
11 
11 
43 
20 
14 
27 
45 
15 
Sun 
Sexagesima Sunday. 
29.773—29.726 
55 — 32 
s.w. 
— 
16 
13 
morn. 
21 
14 
24 
46 
16 
M 
Coltsfoot (Tussilago). 
29.841 — 29./65 
54—32 
E. 
— 
14 
15 
0 
56 
22 
14 
20 
47 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 44.9°, and 30.2°, respectively. The greatest heat, 65°, occurred on the’10th, in 1831 ; and the lowest cold, 3 d , 
on the 11th, in 1845. During the period 128 days were line, and on 68 rain fell. 
PTE'RTS AQUILT'NA. 
With but two exceptions all modern botanists have 
j described this very common Fern under the above 
| names. Mr. Newman alone lias called it Eupteris, and 
j Mr. Bernhardt considers it an Asplenium, but both still 
retaining the specific name aquilina. This specific name 
was given by Linnaeus because, when a slanting cut 
is made through the body of the main root, the surfaces 
j represent in their woody tissue a figure somewhat re- 
: sembling a spread or displayed eagle. In English it 
lias been called Brakes, Female Fern, Braken, Eagle 
Fern. 
Boot creeping, widely extending, brown and downy 
when young, smooth and black when old. Rootlets 
fibrous and downy. Fronds produced singly along the 
root, upright, and from one to eight feet high. In one 
instance it was found thirteeu feet high. Stem half its 
length without branches, angular, pale yellowish green, 
but purplish at the lower part, stiff - , branched. Branches 
horizontal, spreading, with smooth stalks, the primary 
branches nearlv alternate, and the next more decidedly- 
alternate, the leafy portion deeply cut into close, spear¬ 
head-shaped, bluntish, convex, opposite segments, the 
end one usually much the largest, all smooth, and of a 
light, bright green colour on the upper surface, but 
paler and hairy underneath; edges of the segments 
brownish, rolled back, and wavy, inclosing the fructifi¬ 
cation. There is a mid-vein in each segment, and this 
mid-vein produces side-veins in opposite pairs, which aro 
variously branched; these branches unite at the edge of 
the segment, and where they unite is the fructification. 
This is in a continued line, the masses of spores being 
covered with a whitish membrane, which seems to bo 
an extension of the outer skin of the leafy segment. 
This Fern is variously modified by the situation in 
which it grows; its segments are sometimes quite entire- 
edged, and this variation has been called integerrima. 
In another variation the edges of the segments are 
excessively curled or crisped. This, however, differs 
from the Pteris crispa of some botanists, which we have 
described as Allosorus crispus. 
It is useless to particularise the localities of this Fern, 
for it is found on barren heaths and in woods wherever 
the soil is a silicious sand. It is much rarer in districts 
where chalk abounds. 
Turner, writing of this Fern in 1562, says in the 
second part of his “ Herbal,”—“ Not onlye the opinion 
of the commen people is that the Feme bath sede, but 
also it is the opinion of a Christen Physicion, named 
Hieronymus Tragus, who doth not onlye saye that 
Ferns hath sede, but wrytith that he founde upon myd- 
somer even sede upon Brakes. I have taken oute of his 
berball his wordes concernynge that matter, and have 
translated that into Englishe after this maner followinge. 
Although that all they that have written of herbes have 
affyrmed and liolden that the Brake hath nether sede 
nor frute, yet have I dyvers tymes proved the contrarye, 
whiche thinge I will here testefye. I have foure yeres 
together, one after an other, upon the vigill of Saynt 
Jolme the Baptiste (which we call in Euglishe myd- 
somer even), soughte for this seede of Brakes upon the 
nyghte, and in dede I fownde it earlye in the mornynge 
No. CCCCXXXVII. Yon. XVII. 
