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Fern Culture. "".

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Fern Culture. At a meeting of the Paxton Society at the U.C.N., Mr. Griffith, head-gardener to Mr. F. K. Roberb. Penywem, read an interesting paper on Fern Culture. Mr. Griffith said he did not purpose dealing with ferns in general, but to make a few simple remarks on the different varieties, and the method of culture of ferns suitable for the decora- tion of the conservatory, or the greenhouse, or the mansion, and of the latter in particular. To the average gardener, the supplying of plants for room decoration taxes his resources to the utmost, as the number of plants required for that purpose, together with the fact that the plants only remain in a fresh state for a short, time. often drive a gardener to his wits end to find a fresh supply of suitable plants to replace those that have become shabby, and unfit for further use. This may be relieved to some extent by the selection of suitable varieties ot ferns for that purpose, and in placing the plants as far as possible in favourable positions, and careful attention to the watering. Of the decorative value of ferns for this work there can be no dispute. Groups composed entirely of ferns form object of great beauty; so also do ferns when arranged among miscellaneous groups of plants. "Whether they be placed as individual specimens, or made a ground work, they have a charming effect, and show up the highly coloured foliage and flowers of the plants associated with them. The same may be said of the drawing room nothing can equal the beauty of a well-grown fern, 0 when placed in a suitable position in the drawing room, or any where it may be required. The varieties best suited for this purpose may be divided into two classes, viz., those which will do best when placed some distance from the light, and those that are less robust, and require a better situation. In the first lot I find the following varieties answer very well. Adiantum formosum. Asplenium BulbiferiiOi Fabianum. Elechnum braziliense. Davallia canariense, Nephrolepsis exaltata. Pteris critica. P. C. cristata. Pteris sarulata varie- gata. The second or more tender lot, may include, e! e Adiantum capillius-veneris imbricata, this variety has the decorative value and appearance of A. farliyense, but will thrive well in a cool greenhouse. A Cuneatum A. C. grandiceps. A. decorum. A. gracillimum A. williamsu, and A. pacottie, the last- named is chiefly valuable for button holes, and sprays for bouquets. Of course many other varieties could be named, but these will be sufficient for all ordinary purposes. Propagation—As this plarcll- April) is the proper time to commence growing ferns, we will take the mode of their propagation first. There are several ways to propagate ferns- from seed, from division of the crowns, and from small buds on the fronds, &c. AdianCums generally are best raised from seeds; generally, sufficient seedlings can be obtained from self-sown seeds know to the botanist as spores,which have fallen in damp places, or on the surface of pots which con- tain other plants which are growing together in a general mixed collection. If these young seedlings are taken up carefully, with every bit of root possible, and potted into small pots 2 or 2i inches across according to their size, they will make excellent material for decoration by the month of August, and prove of great value during the winter to fill small vases in the house, and also to furnish the front of stages in the fernery in the autumn and winter. In the following spring, these plants may be repotted into 4 or 6 inch pots according to the requirements of the place. By June they will be well furnished with fronds, and will be very use- ful for windowing, gardening, or for general decora- tion. If, however, sufficient plants cannot be obtained in this way, division of root must be resorted to. Select a healthy plant free from scale and other insect pests, and carefully wash away all soil from among the roots, then carefully pull the crowns apart leaving every root possible to the separated cr/wns. These may be potted into various sized pots to suit requirements, and kept close in a hand light, and shaded until the plants have established themselves again. The same treatment answers very well for most of the Pterii. Adiantum Formosum should be carefully shaken out, and the growing point, with as much root as possible selected and potted into 3 inch pots. Nephrolepsis may be propagated either by division as recommended for Adiantums or by pegging the creeping stems which produce bulbils, on a damp surface that they may throw out roots, and will soon become plants, which may be severed from the old plants without injury, and potted into 2 in. pots or several may be potted together into 4 in. pots to form specimen plants. Aspleniums may be pro- pagated from the tiny bulbils produced on the upper surface of their fronds. These may be taken off when large enough to handle. Prick them off into a light mixture of soil, with a layer of sand on the top. Atterthev have been carefully watered, place in a hand light and shaded, where they will soon become fine little plants. Blechnum brazil- iense is a very useful plant in a small pot. A very useful plant may be grown in a 3 in. pot. He obtained his plants from the offspring which grew from the stem of the old plant. These if taken off with as much root as possible, will make a beautiful plant by the end of the summer. The soil which he found to answer best for Adiantum Pteris Blechnnm and Aspleniums, was fibrous loam, two parts leaf mould, one part; and sand, one part. Sea sand answers very well where it can be obtained. If the loam be at all heavy, or wanting in fibre, add two parts leaf mould and a half of charcoal. For Nephrolepsis Davallias, give loam and leaf mould and sand in equal parts, with a double quantity of peat, pass the loam and peat over a half inch riddle, to take a portion of the fine out, as these two varieties love a coarse lumpy soil. The best time to pot ferns is in February or the beginning of March, it is better to attend to this matter just as the ferns are beginning to grow, and before the new foliage is developed. At this stage those to be divided may be done with the least injury to their roots and foliage. Pots must be clean when used. If they are new ones, they should be put in water until they cease to absorb it. A wet or dirty pot will cause the roots to adhere to the sides, so that it will be im- possible to turn the plant out for repotting, without leaving a lot of the best roots behind, and thereby causing injury. The pots should be carefully crocked, by putting a piece of broken pot large enough to covert the hole. with the hollow side downwards, afterwards placing smaller pieces of this to the depth of an inch or so. according to the size of the pot. Over these place a layer of moss or leaves to prevent the soil from being washed down among the crocks, and stopping up the drainage, which would cause the soil to "turn sour. Put a little soil on the moss, and after the plant to be potted has been carefully turned out place it in and carefully press it down, and fill all around the ball, with new soil, make it firm with the potting stick, taking care that sufficient room is left for watering, say from £ in. to an inch, accord- ing to the size of the pot used. The plants to be repotte(I ;Iioul,l neither be wet nor should they be too dry. If too wet they will become very hard after being repotted, if too dry the water will not penetrate to the old stem, but will become dust dry, and the plant will be sure to suffer. Watering —The watering of ferns is of more importance than most people imagine, in fact it is the most important point in the successful cultivation of ferns, no matter how carefully they pot their plants, or with what care they mix the soil, unless they arc carefully watered afterwards their labour will be in vain. After the plants have been potted let them have a good watering, this will generally be sufficient for -three or four days, afterwards examine the plants every day, and water all that are in need, and, also, those that are likely to want water before the usual time of watering next day, as it is better to water a plant a little before it wants than allow it to get dry. The soH in which ferns are grown should always be kept moist, and should on no account be allowed to get dry, nor should too much water be given to cause the soil to get sodden and sour. These two extremes must be avoided or disaster will surely fellow. After the roots have filled the pots, more water will be required, in fact it is surprising what a large quantity of water is required by a healthy plant. The plan iiig saucers under the pots to save labour in watering, is to be condemned, as it has a tendency to make the soil in the pots sour. I Moisture in the atmosphere is very important, especially during the season of growth, this can best be done by watering among the plants, and the paths, and walls of the house. In hot weather this will be most beneficial, not only fer the sake of moisture, but to. keep down the temperature. A dry atmosphere not only retards the development of foliage, but it encourages insects of various kinds, yet too much moisture must not be given, especially in winter, as this may cause the foliage to damp off. Discretion must be exercised in order to obtain the conditions most congenial to the plants by attention to temperature, height, shade, moisture, ? and ventilation. AToid excess in all things. The common idea that ferns should be cut down, is a very wrong one. This should not be done while the fronds are green, only remove them as they become discoloured, or, are in the way of the development of new foliage. If the old fronds are thinned out and the young ones retained, these will tend tQ draw the new foliage out, for when ferns are cut down, the first crop of fronds are very dwarf, but if a portion of the old fronds are left on until the new growth is well advanced, the first fronds attain a better size than would otherwise be the case. The old frond may be removed as it becomes necessaxy. This paper would not be com- plete without a word on the cultivation of ferns in baskets, these are indispensable for the decoration of the conservatory and fernery, and drawing room. The best varieties for this work, in his opinion, were A Cuncatum, A Gracillimum, Pteris Critica, and D. Mooriana, and D. Figiensis. The baskets most suitable for this work are the plain galvanized wire ones 12' inches across, as the more ornamental ones are very difficult to deal with, and they also look artificial, and are not in' character with the plants. Line the basket with large flakes of green wood moss.. place the green side out, when the basket has been filled with moss and soil until it is half-full, put in three small plants out of thumb pots. This may be done by drawing the fronds of the plants through the holes. in the wire basket until the crown presses against the side, then fill up the basket, leaving room for a good plant to be put in the centre. When the ferns are planted the centre should be lower than the sides, otherwise when water is given it will run over instead of through the soil. Ferns, generally, do not grow well in dwelling houses, but if a little thought and attention be given them, it is surprising what fine plants may be grown indoors. Examples in this direction may be seen in the specimens which are grown by cottagers at our shows. He remembered being shown three beautiful specimens which were grown by a lady on the Marine-terrace, Abervst- wyth, entirely without the aid of a greenhouse. One common cause of failure is the want of light, and inattention to watering. Ferns have a better chance in a large room than in a small one, as the changes of temperature are neither so sudden nor so extreme. They are often killed by not having sufficient light, in dark corners far away from the windows, they soon become sickly and die. It is impossible for plants to be healthy and strong without plenty of light. They should be as near the window as possible, but not in the direct rays of the sun. They should not be placed in positions where draughts will catch them. Water must be given in sufficient quantities, and often enough to keep the soil damp. They should be examined every day, and watered if required. Small plants will require watering oftener than large ones, and those that are in warm oftener than those in cold rooms. Water the same temperature as the room should be given. They must not be allowed to stand in saucers of water, as this causes the roots to rot. Water must always be given from the top, and not put in saucers, as is often the case. Kain water is preferable where it can be obtained. When the plants get dirty they should be cleaned with a soft sponge and warm water. It is not good to syringe ferns, or put them outside when it rains.

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