288 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
One of the exceptions is Lilium Pardilinum, which 
grows in the grass-covered peat hummocks in swamps. 
We grow them in oil-cans, thus: punch two or three 
holes in the side of the can, take out the top, fill in 
with stones to the level of the holes, and above with 
horse litter and sand, plant the Lilies, water abundantly, 
the surplus running off through the holes. Do not 
disturb for two or three years, and you will have a 
splendid show of Lilies. I have seen them grown thus 
to the height of ten feet, and over two hundred blos¬ 
soms to a can.” 
I came near failing the first season, by allowing the 
bulbs too much pot room ; I find they like companion¬ 
ship. Small bulbs may be set as closely as we plant the 
little Snowdrop, and the effect is much finer than when 
grown singly. Even my Lilies were given close quar¬ 
ter^. If the bulbs are not wanted to flower m winter, 
they may be planted later in dry soil and set in a frost¬ 
proof cellar. Sometimes I leave a portion of mine as 
late as April, and the growth made in the dark will be 
perfectly white, but when brought to the light it soon 
assumes its natural color. As soon as the weather will 
permit, I set the pots in the yard, where in due time 
they do not fail to bloom. 
After my bulbs are done flowering, I set the pots of 
all varieties in an out-building, where the air circulates 
freely, but where no rain can reach them. In the fall, 
as the weather gets cool, I repot in fresh soil and bring 
in again, and set at the window, or store in the cellar 
for a time. Mrs. G. W. Flanders. 
FERNS IN THE GARDEN. 
FIRST PAPER. 
“ But you are lovely leaves, where we 
May read how soon things have 
Their end. though ne’er so brave, 
And after they have shown their pride, 
Like you awhile they glide 
Into the grave.” 
These lines of Herrick’s seem very applicable to the 
Fern tribe. They might form text for a little homily 
on the transition of earthly things, botanical or other¬ 
wise but I must favor my readers with a Fern ‘ ‘ preach¬ 
ment” instead. To begin at the beginning, Ferns 
belong to the sub-kingdom Cryptogamia, an extensive 
order containing several large tribes such as Mosses, 
Lichens and Horsetails. They do not bear flowers, 
though seed is produced profusely on the under side of 
the leaf forming in lines or dots of spore cases, within 
which are the spores or seeds. 
Ferns differ greatly from flowering plants in construc¬ 
tion and growth. Instead of forming buds or clusters 
of buds, the growth consists of a gradual lengthening 
at both ends. The leaves first unroll, then expand and 
mature. The several parts of a Fern are differently 
named from corresponding parts of other plants. The 
stem or roll-stock is called the candex, the leaf, a frond, 
the stem bearing the leaf, the stipes, and the branching 
of the stipes through the leafy portion is the rachis. 
They are a most satisfactory class for amateur cultiva¬ 
tion, whether one adorns some rocky knoll with 
“ The patches bright of bracken green,” 
or beautifies a shady room. Many exotic Ferns grow 
well in the house with little trouble. 
We will give first place to the Adiantums or Maiden¬ 
hair Ferns, the loveliest family of .them all, if we may 
make comparison among so many beauties. And the 
most beautiful, the “Queen of Ferns,”.as it is often 
called, is Adiantum Farleyense. Its fine shining black 
stems form a striking contrast to the pale green of the 
mature leaf and the rosy-tinted young fronds, while the 
general habit is grace itself. This is an exotic species 
but it does well in the house. The soil should be an 
equal mixture of soft loam, peat and fine sand. Give 
it good drainage and a fair supply of water. It re¬ 
quires a shady'home like most of its tribe. A cunea- 
tum, a Brazilian species, and A. pubescens, a native of 
New Holland, are excellent for house culture ; the lat¬ 
ter bears some resemblance in habit to our native 
species, A. pedatum, but is hardly so delicate in appear 
ance. 
Adiantum setulosum is a good variety for a hanging 
basket. A charming way of growing it is to put it into 
a half cocoanut shell pierced with a number of holes. 
The fern will send crowns through these holes, smoth¬ 
ering the shell with foliage. To water it lower the 
shell into a vessel of water and suspend it there until it 
has absorbed all the moisture required. Soil similar to 
the foregoing varieties. 
Adiantum Capillus-Veneris is the true Maiden-hair. 
In this plant the botanists have somewhat conformed 
to popular nomenclature by giving it the specific name 
“ Venus-hair,” but the generic name Adiatum —from 
Adiantos, dry—is decidedly non-descriptive. It was 
bestowed upon our plant because the leaves if plunged 
into water remain perfectly dry, but this property is 
•possessed by several other plants. The true Maiden¬ 
hair is a British species being found in caves or rock 
fissures in Devon, Cornwall, ’Wales and Ireland. The 
prime requisites for its growth are warmth, shade and 
moisture. I have seen it growing like a weed in a 
shady fernery, self-sown on the brick wall or wherever 
it could obtain root-hold. In a room it should be grown 
in a Fern case or under a bell glass. The soil should be 
sandy peat with a fourth of broken flower pots added. 
The glass should be taken off for ventilation about half 
an hour each day, and it should not be saturated with 
moisture. There are several varieties of this species. 
A. rubellum is a dwarf species from Peru, belonging 
to the same section of the genus as the above ; in a 
young state the fronds are purplish crimson, changing 
to light green as they mature, but even then retaining a 
tinge of pink. 
A. scabrum is the Silver Maiden-hair, a beautiful 
evergreen species from Chili, growing about six inches 
high. The pinnae are large and round, dusted on both 
sides with a white powder. A. sulphureum may be 
called the Golden Maiden-hair, as the under side of the 
leaf is covered with a yellow farinose powder. It is a 
greenhouse species from Chili, but is somewhat difficult 
to cultivate. 
A. tinctum is a beautiful species specially adapted for 
Fern cases. The fronds are rosy red in youth, changing 
to bright green when mature. 
