234 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 12, 1885. 
fleshy nature. The latter, on account of their thickness, 
are also a great deal more liable to injury, should the 
weight applied to them happen to be in any way ex¬ 
cessive. It is also remarkable, that while the young 
and tender fronds of some Adiantums, such as macro- 
phyllum, rubellum, tinetum, rliodophyllum, &c., 
endowed with the most tender colours, retain them for 
years without any trouble, others belonging to the 
same genus are a source of constant anxiety to the 
operator, and require, besides most careful manipulation, 
an endless amount of attention to keep a comparatively 
small portion of colour. In those cases, which, however, 
are fortunately the exception and not the rule, it is only 
by repeated efforts and good fortune that one is able to 
obtain perfect specimens. 
In drying Ferns the following rules should be strictly 
adhered to. in order to insure perfect success. The first 
and most important point is gathering the fronds at 
the proper time, and in a perfectly dry state. They may, 
when quite matured, be taken at any time of the year, 
irrespective of seasons, but always in such a state that 
neither the least condensed moisture, nor in fact wet 
of any kind should be on them when cut for pressing. 
The second point, the importance of which is nearly 
equal to that just adverted to, is the selection of a 
dry and warm place in which the paper appropriated to 
drying purposes should be kept between two even 
boards. Contrary to many people’s ideas, blotting- 
paper, although certainly the best, is not at all 
indispensable, and need not be used exclusively, as 
excellent results may also be obtained by the use of 
newspapers, or, indeed of any paper which is not glazed, 
and will therefore freely absorb moisture, which newly 
cut fronds are sure to give off in more or less quantity. 
In such material, we, fourteen years ago, dried with 
complete success fronds of the delicately tinted Adiantum 
rubellum, Yeitchii, and macrophyllum, Pteris tricolor, 
Athyrium goringianum tricolor, young and partially 
developed fronds of Davallia polyantha, and above all, 
a magnificently tinged frond of Adiantum farleyense, 
all of which have to this day retained their colours in 
such perfection as to appear now quite fresh. 
Fronds when once gathered must not be allowed to 
shrivel in the least. We find from long experience the 
following plan to produce the best results. Let a frond, 
if of large size, or several smaller ones, be put in the 
paper so as not to touch each other ; place between 
each lot a thickness of two or three sheets of paper, 
and when several layers have been thus disposed of, 
alternately press them gently with an ordinary press, 
or with a weight not to heavy, so as not to bruise them, 
and thus cause a predisposition to discolour. Care must 
be taken in laying the fronds in position, to put every 
pinna and pinnule in their proper places, as the aspect 
required by the frond at that period will be afterwards 
maintained. It is also most important for the puiqrose of 
identification that, according to size, either one or several 
fertile pinnules should, in preparing them, be turned 
upwards, so as to show the mode of fructification. This 
will in no wise affect or spoil the appearance of the speci¬ 
men, and will be found to be of very great assistance when 
the latter is required for reference. For the same reason it 
is also necessary, when dealing with species producing 
barren and fertile fronds of different characters to dry 
one of each, representing the development of the plants; 
if of large size, such as those of certain Acrostichums, 
Davallias, Lomarias, &c., they may effectually be re¬ 
placed by portions, varying in size, of these same organs. 
In the case of Gymnogrammas, Nothoclrenas, Cheilan- 
thes, or any other Ferns whose underside is covered 
with a farinose powder, additional strips of paper, 
which must be removed when the subjects are dry, put 
between the pinnae, will be found very useful in 
preventing them from sticking together, which they 
otherwise are apt to do. 
The paper should, until the fronds are perfectly dry, 
be changed every two or three days, replacing the damp 
sheets by others either new or previously well dried 
and aired ; care must, however, be taken to see that 
they occupy exactly the same position after each suc¬ 
cessive shifting. When the fronds are perfectly dry, 
but not until then, they should be mounted on card¬ 
board, into which their points, as well as the extremities 
of the pinnae, should be fastened by means of a little 
gum, which is unnoticed, and gives the Ferns a more 
natural appearance than can be obtained by any of the 
other means generally in practice, such as narrow strips 
of paper, cotton, &c., all of which destroy the natural 
effect of the specimens thus operated on. Each of these 
should, moreover, be provided with a label, on which 
not only the generic and specific names should aqjpear, 
but also the synonyms, if any, the habitat or country 
ofi which it is a native, and the medium height of the 
plant under cultivation ; all these details may be 
considered as so much valuable information, upon which 
one can safely rely in cases of identification, besides 
being to such a collection the very essence of interest 
and attraction. 
After the specimens have been fixed on the card¬ 
board, it is well that they should be protected 
by a sheet of tissue paper of the same dimensions 
as the cardboard itself, on which it should be fastened 
on one side with a little gum. This prevents the 
fronds, which when dry are particularly brittle, from 
being injured in any way by the constant friction to 
which they are exposed through the various uses to 
which a herbarium may be subjected. We scarcely 
need add that the specimens must occupy a thoroughly 
dry place, in which they will remain in perfection for 
years. It is as well to put a little camphor in the box 
or drawer in which they are kept, as a preventative 
against a very minute insect which sometimes attacks 
the dried specimens, causing great ravages by per¬ 
foration.— The Field. 
-—- 
ON FORCING RHUBARB. 
It is not a difficult matter to have forced Rhubarb at 
Christmas, or even earlier, where there are Cucumber 
or Melon pits heated by hot-water, though I must 
confess that I never admired its presence in such 
structures, and consider it a waste of useful accommo¬ 
dation to devote them to such a purpose. For my part, 
I prefer to utilize them for scarlet, pink, and white 
Pelargoniums, Bouvardias, tree Carnations, Tea Roses, 
Primulas, Cyclamen, and other small winter-flowering 
plants. Some writers regularly advise their readers to 
introduce the Rhubarb roots under the greenhouse stage 
or beneath the potting bench. The first is a very dirty 
proceeding, and both are doubtful in their results—that 
of producing the Rhubarb at the desired time. The 
cellar is also frequently recommended as a suitable 
place to force it in, but what little I have seen of the 
attempts of others in this direction does not justify 
me in advising anyone to adopt it. The last let I saw 
treated in this way, had been put in a few weeks 
before Christmas in a cellar above the average for 
warmth, and in March it had not made any progress, 
and was taken out, as the out-of-dooi lot was in ad¬ 
vance of it. I have had frequently pointed out to me 
roots that had been under the greenhouse stage for a 
couple of months in the early part of the season, and 
had not made the least progress, and I have had 
them as long in a Mushroom-house where the tem¬ 
perature has been low. 
The fact is that Rhubarb requires heat underneath to 
start it from December to February. The clumsy method 
of forcing the roots in the open ground has still its 
advocates, but I fail to see what it has to recommend 
it beyond its antiquity, and those who so tenaciously 
cling to it must have a considerable amount of reverance 
for the actions of their forefathers, or they would have 
discontinued the practice long ago. I am well aware 
that covering the crowns with a few inches of litter 
just as they are about to burst will hasteu the growth a 
week or a fortnight in advance of the others ; but this 
is a different thing to heaping sundry cart loads of fer¬ 
menting material over earthenware pots or boxes that 
may cover the crowns. 
Some maintain that Rhubarb is much better flavoured 
when grown exposed to the light; those who wish it 
so cultivated must provide a glass covering for the 
purpose, and the ordinary Cucumber frames will do 
this, if instead of planting on the surface of the bed, 
and so bring the crowns up to the glass at once ; the 
beds are made concave and the roots so sunk that the 
crowns are on a level with the bottom of the frame, or 
even lower, so as to give ample space for the stalks to 
extend. The material of which the bed is composed 
should be such as is not likely to enter into a violent 
fermentation, and to guard against the result of such a 
contingency, it will be as well to allow the bed to 
remain unplanted for a week after it is made, before 
planting the roots in ; the roots should be surrounded 
and covered with soil or decayed manure. Those who 
are compelled to force in the dark should form a bed in 
the manure yard, about 3 ft. high and the same in 
width, and when its temperature is scarcely luke-warm, 
the roots may be sunk in and covered as advised for the 
frame, but before this is done boxes or tubs should be 
fitted over them, and the roots may require a little 
arranging, which is best done before any material is 
placed round them. For covering I have frequently 
used flower casks sawn in two, with a few boards nailed 
together for a lid for a second one. 
Forcing is best done by lining and increasing the 
thickness of the covering over the boxes. Rhubarb, 
Sea Kale, and Asparagus are subject to such anomalous 
treatment during the forcing period as is not admitted in 
the career of any other plant. In nine cases out of ten, 
the greatest heat is applied during the first week or 
two, or till the heat of the bed diminishes and the 
plants are prematurely excited, and the produce must 
be impaired thereby. 
I am perfectly satisfied with beds for any of these 
vegetables if I can feel the slightest warmth in the 
trial stick at the time of starting, which is equivalent 
to from 10° to 20° higher than the soil they came from. 
It may be alleged by those who adhere to the open 
ground system of forcing, that this method is a wasteful 
way of dealing with the roots. Now my experience is, 
that roots the first two or three years after planting 
yield much finer stalks than those which have been in 
the ground longer, I therefore contend that the practice 
is more advantageous than otherwise, and we have 
only to break up one good stool to make half a dozen 
crowns suitable for a fresh plantation. —Forth. 
Another Grower’s Experience. 
As a rule this subject is written of and treated very 
lightly, but as far as my experience goes (and it has 
been very considerable) to obtain even sufficient for a 
good tart at Christmas has often been difficult ; and I 
even admit that I have not always succeeded in supply¬ 
ing it, sometimes to the great annoyance of the cook. 
Of course these little failures lead one to experiment, 
and I will give the results of my experience ; probably 
they may be appreciated by some reader of The Gar¬ 
dening World. 
In the first place I purchase a packet of Johnson’s 
St. Martin’s Rhubarb seed, and sow in a box early in 
February in heat; when the seedlings are large enough 
to handle, we prick them out singly in large 60-sized pots, 
using a good, sound, rich soil. After the plants have 
established themselves, we put them in a cold frame or 
pit, but keep them growing ; by the middle of May 
they will have made good growth, and then must be 
planted out in some good open situation which" has 
been prepared for them, by being well enriched with 
good farm-yard manure. By the plants having been 
in pots, much time will be gained, as they do not 
suffer as though lifted, and time is everything, even in 
this young state, with the plants. 
All that will be necessary during the summer will be 
to keep the ground well stirred with a Dutch hoe ; by 
the end of the season they have become well established, 
and have made roots like large Parsnips, only of a 
different colour. Early in the following spring, after 
the crowns have started, dig over the ground, placing 
a slight covering of coal-ashes over each crown as 
digging proceeds, and during the summer hoe and keep 
the ground clean ; but be sure do not attempt to pull 
any of the stalks for summer use, or the plants will be 
considerably weakened, and ■will not successfully bear 
the strain of forcing. 
Of course, being all seedlings, the plants will vary 
considerably in earliness and growth ; but by simply 
marking with a peg those which start earliest out of 
doors, a pretty sure guide is obtained as to which will 
force best—the earlier the better out of doors. By fol¬ 
lowing the above plan, I have no difficulty in obtaining 
a supply without the anxiety usually attending its pro¬ 
duction. This season we lifted roots so treated six weeks 
before Christmas, and placed them in the mushroom 
house, which is kept about 60° (taking time by the fore¬ 
lock some may say) ; and now, December 2nd, I am 
able to pull stalks for use from 1 ft. to 1 ft. 6 in. in 
length, and for the future do not apprehend the slightest 
difficulty iu obtaining a good supply. 
To those who have experienced any difficulty I com¬ 
mend my mode, and assure them of success. The 
variety named Paragon is said to be very early and an 
excellent forcer, but, as I have not tried it, do not 
recommend it, remembering the old adage, that “a 
bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”— W. C., 
Croome. 
