74 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 3, 1896. 
again and runs to Ely in Cambridgeshire. Com¬ 
mencing again at Fordham, in Norfolk, it continues to 
Hunstanton on the Wash. 
The Lower Greensand is fossiliferous and very 
interesting,both to thegeologist and botanist. The top 
layer of clay seen in our illustration is Gault, and 
contains coprolites in greater or less quantity. 
Coprolites also occur below the sand, and at various 
depths in it. They consist of wood, mineralised with 
phosphate, more or less infiltrated with iron and 
silica ; also of casts of mollusca or marine shells, 
bones, and other matter. Many things occur like 
fruits enclosed by a crust of iron, and others of these 
crusts enclose a quantity of loose sand. Bits of 
wood, often very much like pine in structure, occur 
at various depths in the loose sand, and we pocketed 
a fine piece in which the layers of wood were quite 
evident. Another piece of the trunk of a tree would 
have girthed 3 ft. and was very heavy, owing to much 
iron in it. Iron-ore was formerly worked in the 
neighbourhood of Leighton Buzzard, and an old- 
world Cycad was described in 1867, under the name 
of Cycadites Yatesii, by W. Carruthers, Esq., of the 
British Museum. Not far off Pinites have been found 
in the same geological formation. Some of the wood 
is soft and unctuous like bog peat, and stains the 
fingers black. How many thousands of years these 
old trees have been buried the geologist is unable to 
say. 
The ancient sea had worn away or denuded much 
of the Weald clay, and laid it down again in the 
Lower Greensand beds, so that the latter contain 
fossils that do not belong to them of right, but lived 
at an earlier period of the world's history. These 
fossils were, until recently, worked for manure, but 
here they are simply turned into the bottom to be 
buried with the clay on the top. The nodules in the 
base of the Gault or blue clay are also phosphatic. 
The Gault has here been washed away to a thin 
layer 1 ft. to 6 ft. deep, or thereby. Judging from 
the quantity of fossil wood, there must have been 
land at no great distance off. With regard to the 
sand itself: there is a fine mass of it yet in a solid, 
that is, an undisturbed condition. The tall figure in 
the foreground of the pit is Mr. Arnold himself. 
Nine Acre Pit. 
Adjoining the Mile Tree Road Pit is the above. 
A large proportion of the sand has been taken out, 
and of late years the pit has been lying idle, but 
is to be continued again shortly. The pit is of 
easy access from the main road. On the top are 
three feet of soil, below which, in many places, is 
a pan of iron-stone of a dark red or brown colour. 
There is much iron in this pit, and the sand is used 
for filtering, for cement, and as bird-sand, the latter 
being of a coarse red description. Leaving this 
place, we passed another of Mr. Arnold’s farms, on 
which we noted a 56 acre field of sand which has 
not yet been opened, but is held in store for a future 
period and generation. Apparently it would furnish 
as much silver sand as would keep the horticultural 
world supplied till doomsday. 
Stone Lane Hill Pit. 
This is at Heath, otherwise named Heath-and- 
Reach, about two miles from Leighton Buzzard. It 
is a hill of no great extent situated on the side of the 
main road. The hill has been broached on two sides, 
and though of no great size, it contains sufficient 
sand to last for the next fifty years at the rate of 100 
tons a day. The superficial area is only three acres, 
but it contains much in little space. There is a 
depth of 10 ft of stratified soil on the top, below 
which is a depth of 12c ft. of sand. The lower pit 
consists of iron-yellow, orange or red sand utilised 
for brickmaking. Better sand goes down for a depth 
of 80 ft. below the present level of the working. The 
other opening is on the other side of the hill, at a 
higher level, and at no great distance off. The accom¬ 
panying illustration (p. 73) shows this opening of the 
Stone Lane Hill pit. It contains the finest silver 
sand of all. Some of it is very sharp and gritty, like 
the finest crystallised sugar, but in other spots it is 
as fine as pounded loaf sugar, and as white after 
being exposed for a time to rain and wind. It is 
remarkable that sand of such quality should occur 
so near the red sand opening. Wood, and other 
fossils occur in the latter. 
Peat and Loam. 
Mr. Arnold has purchased peat and loam covering 
an extent of 1,800 acres, close by Heath and Stone 
Hill Lane, on the Stock Grove Estate, Heath, 
Leighton Buzzard. The peat occurs in the woods, 
and contains much bracken roots. It is a brown 
peat equal to that of Hampshire, contains much 
fibre, and is suitable for Azaleas, Heaths, Rhododen¬ 
drons, &c. It is about a foot in depth. A good, 
yellow, fibrous loam, also obtained on this estate, is 
superior to Banstead loam. Like the sand, the peat 
and loam are unlimited in quantity, and are put on 
rail for purchasers at a very low price. The estate 
is much wooded, interesting and beautiful. 
-- 
DYSONS LANE NURSERIES 
A visit to the Dyson's Lane Nurseries of Mr. H. B. 
May, is interesting at any period of the year, but 
more particularly when the Ferns are in their full 
leafage. Other subjects are grown to some extent in the 
houses on both sides of Dyson's Lane, but the Ferns 
largely dominate the establishment, both on account 
of the number of species and varieties, the quantities 
in which they are grown, and the high standard to 
which they are cultivated. 
Maidenhair Ferns. 
It is quite surprising to find such a large number of 
species of Adiantum, which Mr. May has gathered 
together in one establishment. A houseful of A. 
farleyense is worth while going a long way to see. 
The light green foliage is as ample and healthy as 
possible, with the young fronds beautifully tinted 
with amber and pink. The plants occupy not only 
the stages but are suspended in pots as well — a 
method of treatment for which they are well adapted. 
The central stage of another house is occupied with 
A. Collisii, a graceful and narrow pinnuled form of 
A. scutum. Several other houses are more or less 
occupied with these and other species in various 
stages of developement. We came across a fine 
collection which had been made up to supply an 
order. This included healthy young specimens of A. 
scutum, A. Collisii, A. Victoriae, A. rhodophyllum, 
having red tinted young fronds, A. curvatum and 
Lathomi, with very broad pinnules, A. pubescens, A. 
Bausei, A cuneatum grandiceps, and A. Fergusoni 
with broad, dark, glaucous pinnules. The fronds of 
many are tinted with some other colour in the young 
state, and besides those already named, A. rhom- 
boideum is tinted with bronze ; A. macrophyllum, 
with red ; A. fulvum, with bronze ; A. tinctum, with 
bright red; A. tenerum, with pale red or pink ; and 
A. hispidulum, with bronze. On the other hand A. 
cuneatum elegans variegatum, is always marked with 
silvery blotches. A. c. e. cristata is quite distinct 
from A. c. grandiceps. The pinnules of the walking 
Fern (A. ciliatum) are deeply cut. A. Capillus- 
Veneris imbricatum is of dense habit and handsome. 
The broad fronds of A. concinnum latum are well 
known. A. elegantissimum is not so dense in habit 
as A. gracillimum, and has longer pinnules. A. dia- 
phanum is not forgotten. Much larger growing 
species are A. Williamsii and A. aethiopicum elatum, 
the latter having broad, angular pinnules and grace¬ 
fully arching fronds. Seedlings that have been 
selected for their distinctness may be seen in 
quantity. 
Gold and Silver Ferns. 
There is an idea that these Ferns are difficult to 
grow, but such is not the case. The fronds must be 
kept dry, and for that reason they should be stood 
by themselves where they will not be syringed. We 
have seen some of them well grown in a vinery. 
Gymnogramme chrysophylla is one of the best 
known and very handsome. G. c. Alstoni is of a 
deeper golden yell w, and the tips of the pinnules are 
incurved in such a way as to show the golden under 
surface. G. c. laucheana, is of a lighter green 
above. G. c. grandiceps superba, bears heavy 
terminal crests, and the fronds are covered all over 
with golden dust. G. Mayi is a strong grower, and 
of a beautiful silvery white hue beneath, tinted with 
yellow. The finely divided fronds of G. tartarica 
are also very silvery. A heavily crested and silvery 
form is G. wetenhalliana. G. peruviana is dwarf in 
habit and a perfect dusty miller. An old favourite 
is G. chrysophylla Parsonsi, about 6 in. high, heavily 
crested at the top and sides and covered with golden 
dust. 
Nephrolepis and Pteris. 
Mr. May has a large houseful of first-named Ferns 
and the excellent culture to which they are subjected, 
has produced a wealth of greenery which must be 
seen to be appreciated. Altogether there are twenty 
species and varieties including all the best in culti¬ 
vation The latest acquisition is N davallioides 
plumosa with heavily branched and crested fronds, 
presenting a fine appearance as a basket plant. All 
the old favourites, great and small are grown here so 
the names of them are unnecessary. In a cool 
corridor close by is a fine form of N. exaltata with 
broad pinnae. 
The most important recent addition to Pteris is a 
garden form named P. Wimsetti, already very popular 
for market purposes and grown by the thousand, 
though raised only two years ago and put into 
commerce for the first time this year. It is of dwarf 
compact habit, with fronds of leathery texture, and 
having the pinnae cut a second time into segments of 
unequal length. The fronds are broadest in the 
middle and, therefore, very distinct. It will in the 
near future oust many of the old favourites on 
account of its robust and beautiful habit and long- 
lasting qualities. P. sempervirens is another garden 
form, with dark green fronds and light green crests. 
In another part of the nursery is a cool house filled 
with P. Wimsetti in grand condition. 
Other Ferns. 
The netting formed by the golden sori on the under 
surface of the fronds of Hemionitis palmata is hand¬ 
some. The glaucous leaves of Pellaea ternifolia, and its 
blue stripes and rachis are very pretty. One large 
house is occupied with one plant each of the entire 
collection. Here may be seen a very singular and rare 
Fern from the Indian Archipelago. The stout 
rhizome is inclined to rise, and a piece of peat was 
placed against it so that the stem might climb so to 
speak. The loDg, finger-like erect fronds are so 
arranged that they form half of a nest, as it were, and 
while strange are not unhandsome. The name of 
this rare Fern is Asplenium amboinense. A. Drueryi 
is a dark green, leathery and crested form of A. 
Baptisti, and was raised here. A. Mayi is another 
uncommon form, and the dark green, arching fronds 
are 2 ft. long and finely divided. Seedlings vary and 
look as if this Fern was intermediate between A. 
pteridioides and A. flaccidum. 
A fine collection of seven species of Stag's-horn 
Ferns may also be seen in this house, including 
Platycerium Stemmaria, also known as P. aethio¬ 
picum. P. Willinckii has very long, drooping t 
fertile fronds. The barren fronds of P. Hillii are 
circular and lie very closely against the soil, which 
they completely cover. All are grown upon pieces 
of virgin cork or upon rafts suspended from the 
pillars or roof of the house. 
Selaginellas 
The best of the many species of Selaginella are grown 
in this collection. For private establishments the 
dwarf habited and light green S. emiliana would be 
difficult to beat. The dark green of S. atroviridis 
forms a good contrast. The tall growing S. 
Willdenovii, best known by the garden name of S. 
caesia arborea, makes an excellent climber for a 
stove. The spreading leafy and light green of S. 
erythropus, is quite handsome. The dark green 
branching stems of S. Lyalli bear leaves of a firm 
character. S. flagelifera is of spreading habit and 
free growth. 
Fine foliage Plants. 
One house is devoted to Aralias and Ficus elastica. 
Both the green and the variegated sorts of the latter 
are grown, but the variegated one is grown in 
quantity, the plants ranging from ift. to 3 ft. high. 
The variegation is clear, and admirably brought out 
by the plants being grown in a relatively high 
temperature. Aralia gracillima still remains one of 
the most popular, and the slender, wavy leaflets are 
olive-green with pink or silvery midribs and edges, 
for they vary considerably. The leaves of A. elegan- 
tissima are also olive-green in their early stages. A. 
leptophylla is also popular here, but A. Reginae is 
less so, as it has longer, narrower, and fewer leaflets, 
that are less graceful than those of the first-named. 
The leaflets of A. kerchoveana are broader than any 
of the others, and dark green. A reticulata is 
largely grown as a stock on which to graft the 
others. 
The feathery branches and pendent, red 
flowers of Reidia glaucescens are very graceful. The 
light green leaves of Dieftenbachia Jenmanni are 
beautifully striped with white bands. Crotons are 
grown in quantity and variety, a house being devoted 
to them. Mr. May keeps a collection of xoo of the 
best varieties, the broad, narrow, long and short¬ 
leaved sorts in all the leading colours being well 
represented, Dracaenas also constitute a speciality, 
in broad and narrow-leaved types. Dracaena gracilis 
has narrow leaves edged with red, and Angustata is 
