January  2,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
3 
to  have  one,  small  or  large,  as  the  case  might  be  (but  mostly 
small) ;  and  so  I  would  urge  you  all  to  a  reverent  care  of 
those  glories  of  God’s  handiworks  with  which  you  may  be 
surrounded.  Remember,  if  we  are  sincere  in  our  profession 
we  are  looking  forward  to  no  earthly  paradise,  but  to  that 
second  Eden  in  the  Paradise  of  God,  and  so  may  God  bless 
and  preserve  you  all. — D.,  Beal. 
The  World’s  Ferns. 
Ferns  «re  the  most  graceful  group  in  the  vegetable  kingdom. 
From  the  pigmy  Woodsia,  3in  high,  to  the  Dicksonia  that 
towers  up  to  30ft,  all  are  elegant,  and  all  are  refreshingly  tinted. 
In  some  respects  they  are  , 
the  most  popular  of  'k 
plants,  for  many  species  ■ 
are  long-lived  anywhere 
— in  the  windows  of  the 
town-artisan’s  room  as 
well  as  in  the  fernery  of 
the  wealthy.  Moreover, 
they  are  easily  culti¬ 
vated  ;  they  require  no 
manure,  their  only  de¬ 
mands  being  moisture 
about  their  roots  and 
fronds.  They  are  the 
world’s  plants.  We  have 
a  great  many  species 
natives  of  this  country. 
In  Brazil  the  Ferns 
abound  on  the  mountain 
ranges  of  the  Organ  and 
Andes — the  tree  Ferns, 
as  represented  in  our  en¬ 
graving,  abound  there. 
Two  hundred  and  fifty 
species  have  been  recog¬ 
nised  within  a  circle  of 
fifty  miles  diameter  in 
Peru,  340  species  in  the 
British  West  Indian  Is¬ 
lands,  and  450  in  Java 
alone. 
Mr.  Williams,  in  his 
“  Select  Ferns,”  adds ; 
“  Borneo,  Sumatra,  Ma¬ 
lacca,  and  the  Philippine 
Islands  abound  with 
them,  as  well  as  the  whole 
of  the  East  Indies;  and 
very  few,  comparatively, 
from  the  latter  country 
are  in  cultivation,  though 
many  are  peculiarly  beau¬ 
tiful  and  interesting.  In 
Mexico  great  numbers 
exist,  some  300  species 
having  been  described 
w'hich  are  not  in  cultiva^ 
tion.  In  Western  Africa 
great  quantities  of  Ferns 
are  found,  and  many  of 
them  species  that  are 
peculiar  to  that  country. 
At  Fernando  Po,  some 
considerable  distance  up 
the  mountains,  a  splendid 
Cyathea  is  found,  forming 
.  groves,  and  reaching  up¬ 
wards  of  30ft  in  height.  It 
.  is  a  fine  species,  and  the 
crown,  racliLs,  and  stipites 
are  densely  covered  with 
large,  black,  chaffy  scales. 
Again,  if  we  come  round 
to  the  Cape,  in  South  Africa,  a  quantity  of  Ferns  exist  there  that 
have  never  yet  been  introduced  to  our  gardens,  and  no  doubt 
many  new  species  on  that  continent  still  remain  unknown  to 
science.  So  also  in  many  other  places  where  the  atmosphere 
is  sufficiently  humid  they  are  to  be  found,  from  the  humble 
species  of  an  inch  in  length  to  the  noble  arborescent,  kinds,  rear¬ 
ing  aloft  their  splendid  crowns  of  fronds  on  stems  from  10ft  to 
40ft  high,  beautifying  the  landscape,  and  forming  objects  of 
individual  grace  and  elegance  which  we  are  only  now  just 
beginning  to  realise  for  ourselves.” 
On  some  of  the  East  Indian  Islands  the  tree  Ferns  are  so 
TREE  FERNS  IN  BRAZIL. 
numerous  and  so  social  that  their  stems  are  literally  crowded, 
atid  Ferns  gradually  diminish  in  numbers  as  the  temperature  of 
the  latitude  decreases.  In  the  torrid  zone  they  number  in  the 
proportion  of  1  to  20  of  other  plants ;  biit  in  the  islands 
of  the  tropics,  where  the  atmosphere  is  still  more  moist,  their 
proportion  is  still  larger — in  Otaheite  being  as  1  to  4,  in  St. 
Helena  1  to  2,  and  in  Tristan  da  Cunha  as  2  to  3.  Passing  to 
colder  regions  the  proportions  are  much  lower,  being  in  England 
1  to  35,  and  in  Scotland  I  to  31.  Where  moisture  and  shade  are 
absent  they  are  still  more  restricted  in  numbers,  being  in  the 
Grecian  Archipelago  I  to  227,  and  in  Egypt  onl,y  I  to  971.  In  the 
Arctic  regions  no  Ferns  have  been  found,  and  only  four  species 
on  the  North  Cape  of  Norway  ;  and  in  Baffin’s  Bay  only  one. 
Lycopodium  Selago.  Ferns  maintain  a  high  position  if  their 
utility  is  considered.  Their  fronds  are  among  the  most  graceful 
ornaments  of  the  boudoir,  the  dinner  table,  the  bouquet,  and 
the  head-dress.  Capillaire  is  prepared  from  the  Black  Maiden¬ 
hair,  Adiantum  nigrum  ; 
and  Mr.  Williams  details 
that  “  The  pith  of  Cyathea 
medullaris  is  eaten  by  the 
New  Zealanders,  and  the 
stems  of  Pteris  esculenta 
and  Callipteris  esculenta, 
as  well  as  the  tuberous 
roots  of  Nephrolepis 
tuberosa,  have  been  used 
for  food,  but,  generally, 
w’hen  nothing  better  was 
to  be  obtained.  Lastrea 
Filix-mas,  Ceterach  cffici- 
narum  and  Scoloi>endrium 
vulgare,  &c.,  have  been 
used  medicmally ;  but 
M'ith  the  exception  of  the 
first  they  are  not  in  much 
repute.  The  styptic  drugs 
brought  from  Sumatra 
under  the  barbarous 
names  of  Penghawa 
Djambi,  and  Pakoe  Ki- 
dang,  are  supposed  to  be 
the  produce  of  Ferns.  A 
species  of  Cibotium,  which 
is  very  common  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  has 
had  its  stipes  stripped  of 
the  long  dense  hairs  with 
which  they  were  clothed, 
and  carried  away  to  Cali¬ 
fornia  and  Australia,  for 
the  temporary  jiurpose  of 
stuffing  cushions  and 
beds.” 
In  the  gardener’s 
special  domain  they  aid 
him  in  every  one  of  its 
ornamental  departments. 
In  shaded  borders  and 
rookery,  Adiantums,  Cyr- 
tomiums,  Lastreas,  ^  Lo- 
marias,  Osmundas,  Wood- 
sias,  and  many  others  may 
be  grown  and  fringed  with 
Lycopodium  and  hardy 
Selaginellas.  To  enume¬ 
rate  those  which  may 
occupy  the  stove,  green¬ 
house,  and  conservatory 
would  be  to  name  the 
whole  of  the  Filic^. 
There  are  more  than  150 
species  that  will  thrive  in 
glass  cases  in  the  dwell¬ 
ing-room,  and  fifty  that 
are  fitted  by  their  habit 
to  adorn  pendant  baskets. 
We  hope  to  furnish 
much  more  information 
respecting  the  beautiful 
Ferns  in  the  coming  twelve  months  than  we  have  lately  done. 
For  the  nonce.  Ferns  are  not  greatly  studied. 
- - 
The  Poisonous  Cape  Tulip. 
The  weed  referred  to  is  Homeria  collina,  and  of  late  years 
has  been  spreading  in  districts  of  Western  Australia,  where  its 
poisonous  properties  have  been  the  means  of  dealing  death  amid 
numerous  cows  there.  Active  measures  are  being  taken  to 
