18 * 8 .] 
MARKET PLANTS : III.-VILLA GARDENING—APRIL. 
61 
of the plants is sent to market in April, when 
they are quite young and iii thumb-pots. They 
are freely bought up to be grown on into size. 
The best kinds for market purposes are Pteris 
serrulata and some of its crested varieties ; 
P. argyrcea, cretica , and cretica albo-lineata ; 
Adiantum farleyense, cuneatum, grcicillimum, 
formosum, Gheisbreghtii (scutum), and irapezi- 
forme; Nephrodium molle and its crested forms ; 
Lomaria gibbet, Phlebodium aureum , Nephrolepis 
tuberosa , and Blechnum corcouctdense and 
brasiliense. Ferns are employed in a thou¬ 
sand ways, and the London and country trade 
buy largely of small plants of the foregoing, 
and use them when they are of sufficient size. 
The houses in which Ferns are raised from 
seed—and all are propagated in this way, with 
the exception of A. farleyense —are so con¬ 
structed as to be half-way down into the earth, 
as they are intended to be entered only by 
the workmen. A warm, moist atmosphere is 
essential, and it is best secured in these 
sepulchre-like erections, which are small and 
narrow. Here, as in the case of propagating 
Draccmas , small frames are used for raising 
the seeds. The spores are sown in October 
and November, in well-drained 48-sized pot, 
filled with a light peaty soil; on the top of 
this the spores are thinly laid, and a bell- 
glass placed over each. The consequence is 
the young plants grow quickly and plentifully. 
In the case of some sorts, a little fine mortar 
rubbish is strewn over the surface of the pots, 
and this materially assists growth. As soon 
as the spores germinate, little tufts appear, and 
these are divided as soon as it can be done, and 
put in other pots ; and then when the little 
plants are large enough they are put 
singly into thumb-pots, and grown on 
with the greatest rapidity. Adiantum farley¬ 
ense is increased by division of the roots, 
and a large stock has to be got together before 
propagation can be extensively done. The 
best time to divide is in winter and spring. 
The pieces are put into small pots, plunged in a 
quick bottom-heat, and grown on. By means of 
successional batches this fine maiden-hair is 
marketed nearly all the year round. Some 
growers produce Gymnogrammas from seed, 
but they require very delicate attention during 
the winter in a seedling state; they are what 
are termed bad doers, and are very impatient 
of moisture, but when the right method is 
hit upon, success is the rule, and failure the 
exception.— R. Dean, Ealing, )V. 
VILLA GARDENING FOR APRIL. 
NE of our poets has written of April :—• 
v Now, Proteus-liko, smiling, and now in 
tears, 
Comes cheerful April, mingliug hopes with fears.” 
This is very true, for the experience of the few 
past years has taught gardeners that April is 
a capricious month, and that in place of the 
soft, warm rain-drops, there is often a visitation 
of keen frosts and cold biting winds. Springs are 
now so uncertain as to require on the part of 
the gardener a constant watchfulness. 
Greenhouse. —Growth is now the order of 
the day. The clear bright sunlight and length¬ 
ening days call plants into activity. Hard- 
wooded plants that have done blooming, such as 
Ericas, Epacris , &c., should be repotted, and 
the plants rearranged in as attractive and orderly 
a manner as possible. After the plants are re¬ 
potted, they should stand for a few days before 
being: watered, and then it needs to be done 
thoroughly. Till then less air is required, owing 
to the inactivity of the roots, but syringing two 
or three times a week when the weather is fine 
and warm will be beneficial. As little fire-heat 
as possible should be applied, shutting up the 
house between four and five o’clock, when the 
atmosphere is nice and warm. What are known 
as Soft-wooded plants are growing fast. Large- 
flowered Pelargoniums, for instance, are moving 
rapidly, and need to have the shoots tied out as 
they grow, and kept quite free from green-fly. In 
giving air, care should be taken not to open the 
windows on the windy side, especially when 
north and easterly winds blow. Cold draughts 
are injurious to the plants, and any one walk¬ 
ing through the houses of a market-grower of 
plants will be struck with the care taken to 
exclude cold currents of air. Pelargoniums, 
Fuchsias, and other quick-growing plants that 
it is not desirable to shift, will be much benefited 
by stirring the surface and top-dressing with 
some good soil. 
Gold Greenhouse. —During cold weather, 
when the temperature falls low of a night, and 
sharp frost may set in before morning, water¬ 
ing should be done not later than mid-day, so 
that the shelves may dry before night. This 
applies more particularly to tender plants, but 
it is a rule that should be applied to hardy 
plants also. Of plants now flowering in a cold 
greenhouse, we may mention the brilliant scarlet 
Anemone fulgens, Primula denticulata, P.pul- 
cherrima , and P. purpurea, the last by far the 
finest, but all three most useful for cutting 
from; the pretty white Primula nivalis, P. 
minima, P. marginata, and P. intermedia; 
Triteleici lilacina, a lovely subject for a cold 
house; Crocuses, Polyanthuses, Alpine Auri¬ 
culas, Narcissuses, Zonal Pelargoniums, and 
some others. The green-fly is certain to be 
troublesome, but it is best to brush them 
