THE FERN PARADISE.

:css (Opinions

OF

« THE FERN PARADISE.11

Selected from 100 favourable Reviews.

FIRST EDITION.

Saturday Review.

' It is an appropriate undertaking' for a practical philanthropist to bring home fern-
huntingf and fern culture to the mind and eye of the many . . . The plan of Mr. Heath's
book is well conceived. First he stimulates a taste for the fernery by vivid descrip-
tions of fern land and its unflowering botanic inhabitants, and this done he introduces
us to a dozen typical 'sing-le ferns,' the only species of their respective genera;
afterwards discussing some seven interesting 'fern groups,' and all this simply and
clearly, and yet with enough ot exactness to prevent any scientific reader having the
right to cavil at an untechnicality, which is an especial boon to the general reader and
amateur fern fancier. . . . Unless Mr. Heath himself paints on canvas as cleverly as
as he depicts on paper the scenes with which his favourite plants are connected, it
might be worth an artist's while to visit some of the haunts and outlooks of his
Devonian rambles.'

Spectator.

' With the view of promoting fern culture it is that Mr. Heath has produced this
charming little volume, which, written, it is needless to say, con amore, will not only
enchant the Fern lover, but will also please and instruct the general reader.'

British Quarterly Review.

'We earnestly commend this volume, written by one who is an intense lover of
Nature, and who has thrown around his subject, not only the light of science, but the
charm of enthusiasm and poetry.'

Morning Post.

' The Fern Paradise comes from the pen of a well-known writer on popular
subjects. While Mr. Heath makes his plea for the culture of ferns almost irresistible
by his alluring sketches of 'The Fern Paradise of England,' he also shows how
readily the most charming features of that paradise may be utilized for the orna-
mentation even of the humblest dwellings.'

Standard.

' The Fern Paradise has won its way to a most deservedly high place in popular
estimation.' . . . ' The chapters which the author devotes to accounts of rambles
amongst green lanes and shady nooks are delightfully fresh, and full of picturesque
descriptions and delicate word-painting. Lovers of the beautiful in Nature could
desire no more charming programme for a country holiday than to follow, The Fern
Paradise in hand. Mr. Heath's wanderings. . . . We have read with great pleasure
his charming descriptions.

Garden.

' This book has for its acknowledged object the development ot the popular taste
for ferns. If an enthusiastic appreciation of his subject, a vivid imagination, and
splendid powers of description are likely to assist in the accomplishment of the
Author's purpose, he will probably have the satisfaction of knowing in time that he
has been successful. His work has evidently been a labour of love ; and wisely
choosing to approach his subject from an aesthetic rather than from a scientific point
of view, the opportunity has been afforded for descriptive writing of a kind rarely
to be found in works bearing upon botanical matters.'

Land and Water.

' Mr. Heath has fulfilled his task with characteristic ability. His object is to
extend the love of fernery, and we imagine that few who read his pages will do so
uninfluenced by his enthusiasm.'

FERN PARADISE:

Pea for the
of Jfevns.

FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH,

EDITOR OF

THE NEW EDITION OK GII.PIN's " FOREST SCENERY.

AUTHOR OF
"THE FERN WORLD," "SYLVAN SPRING,"

"MY GARDEN WILD," ''AUTUMNAL LEAVES,

" PEASANT LIFE IN THE WEST OF ENGLAN
"OUR WOODLAND TREES," " SYLVAN WINTER,''
"BURNHAM BEECHES," "TREE GOSSIP."

''TREES AND FERNS,"

" THE ENGLISH PEASANTRY,"
"THE FERN PORTFOLIO," "WHERE TO FIND FERNS,

ETC.

AUTHOR'S EDITION

(BEING THE SEVENTH)

(ILLUSTRATED.)

Xonfcou :

THE COUNTRY PRESS,

7 & 19 BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, W.

1905.
-(Ml rights .rewi'eti. )-f - V '

Xonfcon :
PRINTED FOR THE COUNTRY PRESS,

BY

SAMUEL SIDDERS & Co.,
17 & 19, BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, W.

Note to the Author's Edition.

OOKS dealing with "Country sub-
jects" have never been so popular
as they are to-day ; and yielding,
at so opportune a time, to a very
widely-expressed desire to re-issue his books,
which, though long out of print, have obtained a
popular welcome that has been extended to them
in every English-speaking Country in the World,
the Author has determined to do so through
the medium of " The Country Press," which
has been established with the especial object
of publishing volumes at a moderate, and, as
far as possible, at a uniform price, on all matters
(so deeply interesting, especially to those in
cities pent) relating to the Country and to
Country pursuits.

297081

NOTE TO THE AUTHOR S EDITION.

It was " THE FERN PARADISE " which obtained
for the writer, thirty years ago, the much-prized
reputation of being " the Prophet of Fern
Culture," and if the earnest public object which
underlies all his writings on sylvan themes
secures support from the widely-extended host
of readers whom this inexpensive edition is
intended to reach, it will be followed by other
volumes in the same series.

(Copy of a Letter received in 1887.)

DAYTON, OHIO,

UNITED STATES,

February i^th, 1887.

To FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH, ESQ.,
UNDERWOOD,

KEW GARDENS,

SURREY.
DEAR SIR,

I have frequently, during the last 10 or
j 2 years, been tempted to write to you, especially
so after the perusal of some one of your beautiful
works, describing Nature in her exquisite and
loveable beauty. Your " Fern Paradise ': has
been particularly interesting to me, as also "Our

NOTE TO THE AUTHOR'S EDITION.

Woodland Trees," now lying on the table before
me ; and allow me to say, sir, that your works
are as familiar to our school children and the com-
mon people as the writings of Charles Dickens
in dear old England — most of our Public
Libraries having a complete set of your works on
their shelves. While reading your book " Our
Woodland Trees " and looking over the beautiful
engravings, so true to nature, I felt I was back
in the Old Land, roaming through its field-
paths and crossing the old rustic stiles ; then
through its quiet lanes with their leafy hedges of
Blackthorn in full bloom, and later, of Hawthorn.
I almost fancied I could inhale their delicate per-
fumes and almost unconsciously looked down to
my feet to make sure I was not treading on some
sweet cowslips or primroses, or crushing some
bluebells. Then views of the stately old oaks
reminded me of our rambles through the parks
and copses of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire,
and the picturesque Isle of Wight — all familiar
places to me in my youthful days. You cannot
conceive the pleasure such a book as yours gives
to me in a strange land, away from all my kindred
and the old scenes of childhood ; more especially

NOTE TO THE AUTHOR S EDITION.

when the thoughts agree so well with one's own.
It is like the communion of kindred spirits, it
makes one forget the hardships of present life,
and, as it were, in vision transports one back to
the old homes and old kindred. In thought, in
feeling, we are akin, and who knows what other
ties there are between us — ties that are, perhaps,
lost in the obscurity of the past !

But to say that I feel proud that I bear the
family name of one who can entertain millions of his
fellow beings with ennobling thoughts of the
beauties of Nature's handiwork, and who has the
power to cause these thoughts to be lifted to
Nature's God and to fill the minds of others with
aspirations for communion and fellowship with
Him and with expectations of an eternity of
joyous adoration above — to say that I feel proud
would be to express very tamely my feelings !

We have Nature dressed in her grandest
beauties on this continent. Some of our forest
trees are noble specimens of their kind. Our
prairies are immense, our landscapes grand to
awfulness, our waterfalls fearful to behold ; but
the quiet, sweet repose of the beauties of our sea-

10

NOTE TO THE AUTHOR'S EDITION.

girt isle are all wanting here. And after a long
and tedious tour of this limitless land, one
quietly longs for just one more glimpse of dear
Old England.

With such feelings welling up within me, I
am sure, dear sir, you will pardon any liberty you
might otherwise consider my writing you to be. I
have never had the pleasure of personal acquain-
tance with you, and probably I never shall, but I
felt I must thank you for the great pleasure you
have afforded me in these ennobling utterances
(so to say) of your facile pen.

Believe me, Dear Sir, to remain,
Ever yours very gratefully,

ROBERT HOWARD HEATH.

The preceding letter is one of very many that
have been received, including letters from the
Antipodes and a large number from the
home country, expressing the pleasure which
the Authors writings on sylvan themes has
inspired. Such evidence o^ enjoyment of the
loving treatment of nature subjects is very
gratifying. But, whilst the Author is delighted

NOTE TO THE AUTHOR'S EDITION.

to know that his "plea" of thirty years ago has
had a markedly and a noticeably elevating effect
upon public taste, he is conscious that it takes
a long time to educate public feeling to its fullest
extent ; he realises that a generation has grown
up since " THE FERN PARADISE " was first
published, and he trusts that, as the theme
is as fresh as ever it was and is still full of
educating, elevating and delightful possibilities,
it will find the present generation as appreciative
as was the previous one of what is beautiful in
nature.

The lanes and moorlands and streams of bonny
Devon are as fresh and fascinating and delightful
as they were when described more than a quarter
of a century ago in this modest little volume ;
and the Author earnestly trusts that the mission
to give pleasure, of his "plea for the culture of
Ferns," may be continued and widely extended in
this NEW EDITION.

London, October, 1905.

12

PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH)
EDITION.

this, its FOURTH, Edition, 'THE
FERN PARADLSE ' enters upon an
entirely new phase of its exist-
ence. It is indeed, to a large
* extent, a new book. Not only
^iSf has the original text been carefully re-

s»v

Y:y/\ vised throughout, but considerable addi-
X/ f tions have been made to the volume.
The first contents comprised two parts
respectively called 'Fern-land' and 'Ferns and
Fern Culture.' These remain — revised, and sup-
plemented by additions to their text — -as Parts I.
and IV., whilst the whole of Parts II. and III.

PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION.

— ' A Fern Paradise at Home ' and ' The Hygienic
Influence of Plants in Rooms' (with the excep-
tion of the Introduction to Part II.) — have been
written for the present edition. Alterations so
extensive have necessarily required an increase
in the size of the volume and the re- setting of the
type throughout.

But the especial feature of this new edition is
its illustrations. And here the Author has to
make acknowledgment to a host of kind friends
for the suggestion that the utility of his ' Plea '
for Fern culture would be greatly enhanced and
strengthened by pictorial embellishment.

An illustrated title-page appeared to the
Author to be indispensable to the present edi-
tion : and if the Reader will indulgently imagine
— in looking upon this first and introductory page
—that he is looking through an opening in a
ferny embankment at a perspective of clustering
Ferns in graceful association with shady rocks
and woodland knolls ; and if the Reader will, at

PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION.

the same time, imagine that he hears the music
of running water and feels the soft breath of
springtide, the Author ventures to indulge the
hope that such pleasant, though imaginary, im-
pressions will be very potent in their effect. They
will indeed undoubtedly strengthen the pleadings
which this volume contains for the loving study and
cultivation of the most graceful and beautiful of
the plant forms which the beneficent Creator of all
that is good and beautiful has scattered with a
loving hand in such profuse abundance over the
surface of our world. May the figure of a ' Fern
basket,' depending from a spray of ivy ra this
title-page, serve gently to suggest that Nature will
lovingly lend herself to the plans of the Fern-
lover who desires to make the accessories of
Fern cultivation harmoniously blend with hi&
endeavours to preserve as far as possible, in his
extemporized Fern paradise, Nature's unadorned
simplicity.

The eight illustrations in the part of the

PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION.

volume preceding page 313' are from drawings by
Birket Foster.

The woodbury-type frontispiece, and the
three other woodbury-type * illustrations of the
Chapter ' Down a Green Lane/ in Part I., are
reduced from the negatives of photographs
taken for the Author by Messrs. Brinley and
Son, of Totnes. It may be mentioned here,
that the descriptions in the Chapter ' Down a
Green Lane ' were written, verbatim, in the lane
described, and the Author's impressions were
penned under the sheltering canopy of over-
arching trees and shrubs, and under the stimu-
lating influence of the golden gleams of sunlight
which found their way on to his manuscript
through the interstices in the clustering leaves
of the embowering branches. It is probable that
for the reasons stated in the chapter itself, few
people had discovered this charming green lane
until the description in this volume called atten-
tion to it. The photographer who accompanied

* Now changed to photo-process engravings.

16

PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION,

the Author to receive directions as to the places
at which views were to be taken confessed that,
although he had resided in the neighbourhood all
his life, and had believed that he knew every
corner of the country-side, he had never seen
this lane, and was unaware that the neighbour-
hood of Totnes — exceedingly beautiful as are
its green lanes — included one of such surpassing
loveliness as the one in question.

The Author is responsible for an innovation in
the matter of the Fern plates which, to the number
of eight, accompany the text of ' Ferns and Fern
Culture' in Part IV. It has hitherto been the
practice to illustrate books on Ferns by coloured
or uncoloured drawings of these beautiful plants.
As artistic productions, such illustrations are
often very effective. A departure, however, from
the prevalent custom of Fern-book illustrations
was attempted in ' THE FEKN WORLD.' The beau-
tiful art of photography was brought into requi-
sition with the object of reproducing the lines of

PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION.

Nature. The actual fronds of the Ferns to be
represented were mounted on cards, and pho-
tographed the requisite size for the pages of ' THE
FERN WORLD.' The photographs were transferred
to the stone blocks of the lithographer, who by
this process could not fail to obtain perfectly
accurate representations of the Ferns themselves.
The Fern figures in the present volume have
been obtained by an equally accurate and
faithful process, although the manner of repre-
sentation is different, no colouring or veining
—as in the case of the ' THE FERN WORLD'
being attempted. The fronds here represented
were laid upon white card-board, grouped in the
manner shown in the plates. By a slow and
laborious process their actual impress was taken,
and the identical figures thus obtained were photo-
graphed on the blocks of the engraver, who thus
had before him the identical images which were
to be marked in by his graving tools. It is due
to Mr. J. D. Cooper, to whose direction this work

,8

PEEFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION.

lias been entrusted, to state that it has been
executed with the utmost faithfulness, and that
the impressions he has produced are absolutely
true to Nature. The grouping of the several
species of British Ferns (in Plates 2 to 8 inclusive),
according to their respective genera, enables the
Reader at one glance to determine the differences
between the various species belonging to each
genus.

As the Author pens these lines, concluding the
labour of love involved in the revision and
extension of the Fern papers in this volume,
he is reminded, by the sounds and sights which
indicate the joyousness of Nature, that the spirit
of Spring is abroad, breathing its gentle influence
on all things, both animate and inanimate.

' The Spring is here— the delicate-footed May,

With its slight fingers full of leaves and flowers ;
And with it comes a thirst to be away,

Wasting in woodpaths its voluptuous hours.'

PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION.

Appropriately, therefore, at this joyous season
may this ' Plea for the culture of Ferns ' be
launched in its new dress.

' We pass out from the city's feverish hum,

To find refreshment in the silent woods ;
And Nature, that is beautiful and dumb,
Like a cool sleep upon the pulses broods.'

But may we not woo Nature to our homes ?
Cannot we surround ourselves with some of the
most graceful and beautiful of her children ? At
least the attempt is worth a trial; for if it
succeeds, it will make us healthier and happier.

London, May, 1878.

20

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION.

success of this modest 'Plea
for the culture of Ferns' has far
exceeded the Author's anticipa-
tions. Two editions of the little
work have already been rapidly
exhausted, and a kind and indulgent public
have now called for a THIRD EDITION.

The Author believes that the popularity
of 6THU FERN PARADISE' is mainly, if
not entirely, due to the singular favour which
has been shown to it by the Press; although
he ventures to hope that the success of his work
may, at least in some degree, be ascribed to the

21

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION.

circumstance that it is free from the uninteresting
technicalities which have succeeded — in most
works on Ferns — in making the study of these
beautiful plants a hard task, instead of a pleasing
and delightful occupation.

To the kind Reviewers who have accorded
such unstinted — nay, overwhelming — praise for
a humble attempt to popularize the study of
Ferns, to inculcate a love for the beauties of
Nature, and to prove what a wealth of pleasure
—derivable from a simple pursuit — is within the
reach of the humblest, the Author tenders his
most sincere and heartfelt thanks.

September, 1876.

22

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTORY

PAGE.

25

fart I.

FERNLAND.

CHAP.

I. — INTRODUCTION .
II. — A PARADISE or FERNS
III. — FERNY RAMBLES IN SOUTH DEVON
IV. — THE FERNY MOORLANDS
V. — DOWN A GREEN LANE !

57

77

91

109

131

fart It

A FERN PARADISE AT HOME.

I. — INTRODUCTION .
II. — MEANS TO THE END

153
161

CONTENTS.

CHAP

PAGE.

Ill — FERNS ON THE LAWN ..... 171

IVT. — FERN WINDOWS . . . . . -177

V. — FERNS AND AQUARIA. ..... jg^

VI. — MINIATURE FERN CAVERNS . . .

195

?art HI.

THE HYGIENIC INFLUENCE OF PLANTS IN
BOOMS.

I. — INTRODUCTION ....... 201

II. — THE INFLUENCE or PLANTS IN BOOMS . . 203

Part ID.

FEBNS AND FEEN CULTURE.

I. — INTRODUCTION. ...... 213

II.— WHAT is A FERN ? ...... 215

III. — ABOUT SOIL FOR FERNS ..... 223

IV. — SINGLE BRITISH FERNS ..... 229
V.— FERN GROUPS . -- . . . . 281

VI. — THE POLYPODIES ...... 285

VII. — THE SHIELD FERNS ..... 397

VIII.— THE BLADDER FERNS ..... 319

IX. — THE WOODSIAS ...... 331

X. — THE BUCKLER FERNS ..... 339

XI.— THE SPLEEN WORTS ...... 365

XII.— THE FILMY FERNS ..... . 399

I/ENVOI ......... 405

INDEX 413

24

THE FERN PARADISE.

INTRODUCTORY.

SO* HIS volume has been written with
an earnest purpose. The various
chapters of which it is composed
will disclose in detail what that
purpose is. But an author has
no right to expect that the public,
y * however indulgent, will read his book
unless he can, in his preface, show cause
why they should do so. Should he by the
exercise of rare ability succeed, in his
introductory chapter, in chaining the interest
of his readers, he may need no better pass-
port to their continued indulgence than that
supplied by a powerful imagination and a
brilliant literary style. But, if he eschews
the endeavour to dazzle, and merely aspires

THE FERN PAEADISE.

to be useful, he must adopt the humble role of
an apologist, and give such preliminary explana-
tions of the object which he proposes to accom-
plish as may secure for him a patient hearing on
the part of those whom he desires to please and
to benefit.

The earnest purpose of this volume, then,
is that it may assist in developing the popular
taste for Ferns in such a way as to lead to the
more extensive cultivation of these graceful and
beautiful plants in our gardens and in our dwell-
ing-houses ; nay, even so far as such an arrange-
ment would be practicable, in our places of
business, wherever they may be.

The Author claims to have originated the idea
which these pages will unfold. He has noticed—
and many others have doubtless done the same—
that within recent years there has been in our
cities and towns a great development in the
practice of what is called ' window gardening.'
This practice has not been confined to the humbler
classes. Rich and poor have come now to adopt
'window gardening' to a much greater extent
than formerly ; and, so far as the poor are con-

26

INTRODUCTORY.

cerned, attempts have been made by philanthropic
persons and by philanthropic associations to foster
and encourage the new taste. The wealthy, when
they have not window gardens, have the means
of providing similar objects of enjoyment. Their
wealth enables them to gratify their tastes ; and
these are not fettered by any considerations of
cost. But in our cities and towns, the immediate
surroundings of the poor — whoso existence is too
commonly cheerless and sad — are painfully dismal.
Penury and suffering, too, add piquancy to the
depression which is naturally caused by such
dismal surroundings : and the efforts of those
who have spent time and money in the endeavour
to relieve the dull monotony of the lives of the
poor, have been directed to a noble end.

Whilst, however, the poor of our large towns
feel more keenly than the well-to-do or the rich
the necessity of having, in or about their dwellings,
some such enlivening influence as would be pro-
duced by the presence of plants or flowers, it is
the rich who, from their more abundant means,
have adopted ' window gardening ' to the greatest
extent. But amongst all classes of town dwellers

B 2

THE FERN PARADISE.

the recent increase in the delightful practice is no
doubt due to the same cause. Our big towns and
cities have been acquiring an accelerated rate of
growth. Houses have thus, by a rapid process of
extension, been blotting out the green fields and
hedgerows. In London this process has perhaps
acquired a greater degree of development than
elsewhere ; but, wherever it has been in operation,
the withdrawal of the country has increased the
desire of those who have thus been gradually
enfolded more and more completely within the
stifling domain of bricks and mortar, to compen-
sate for the absence of green fields by surrounding
themselves with something which is fresh and
green.

To a certain extent this desire has been met by
the formation of parks or public gardens within
central and densely-populated town districts ; but
the requirements of health and enjoyment have
not been sufficiently met by such means, the
number of public gardens in the Metropolis and
elsewhere being far too small.

Next to the public parks and gardens the
gardens of dwelling-houses in town districts help

28*

INTRODUCTORY.

to supply the popular want for the refreshing
presence of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers. But
it is the exception to find gardens in the central
parts of large towns. Small open spaces or yards
may sometimes exist in lieu of gardens. But in
such spaces everything has, too frequently, a bleak
and arid aspect, except where 'boon Nature' has
thrown down a few blades of grass or some hardy
weed which can bravely live amidst uncongenial
surroundings ; or where, perhaps, the occupiers of
the houses which possess such dismal open spaces
may have introduced shrubs, plants, or flowers in
pots. In town suburbs gardens are more plentiful,
and flower gardening occasionally is practised
with great artistic effect. Even in town suburbs,
however, there is many a bleak, uncultivated
corner which might be subjected with advantage
to the enlivening influence of plants.

But the Ferns — why are not they brought into
more extended cultivation ? Not because there
is any disinclination to do so on the part of town
dwellers. On the contrary, are the numbers not
counted by hundreds of thousands of those who,
chained to business in the heart of the great

29

THE FERN PARADISE.

business centres, and consequently kept for many
months within city walls, wearily pine for fresh
country breezes, and for the green — the delightful,
the refreshing green — of the fields and hedgerows ?

Well does the Author remember his own feel-
ings after a first residence of a few months in
London. Coming away from the delightful West
of England, amidst whose beautiful scenes he
must have imbibed in his earliest years his pas-
sionate love for hill, woodland, and stream, the
atmosphere of the Metropolis hung heavily upon
him. Six months of that first residence in the
great wilderness of houses seemed six years to
Trim. But, oh ! the glad sense of freedom when
the time came at the end of the six months for
relaxation, and business could be thrown up for
a, few weeks ! How keen was the enjoyment of
the railway journey for a hundred and sixty miles !
how delightful to drink in the lovely landscapes
which passed in rapid alternation before his eye !

Such an experience is by no means a solitary
one. It has been said that there are hundreds of
thousands of town dwellers who every day are
wearily pining for the country, or something which

' Are the numbers not counted by hundreds of thousands of those who, chained
to business in the heart of the great business centres, wearily pine for fresh country
breezes, and for the green — the delightful, the refreshing green — of the fields and
hedgerows ? '

Page 29.

INTRODUCTORY.

will remind them of it. The lives of such are
chiefly passed in two spheres — the sphere of work
and the sphere of home. They live in one place,
and they work — whether as employers or employed
— in another, or it may be in others.

It is probably because they have not given a
thought to the beautiful Ferns that it has not
occurred to them how much more pleasant would
be the associations of their dwellings and their
places of business, were they to fill up every
vacant and available corner with these graceful
and elegant plants. Sometimes, perhaps, it is
because the idea of having flowers in sunless
corners would be impracticable that the idea of
having any substitutes for flowers is abandoned.
But, as it has been urged elsewhere — ' Ferns will
grow where flowering plants would perish.'

Will it not be admitted, then, that a vast fund of
pleasure is here opened up, — pleasure which is
within the reach of all ? When it is remembered
how much in this life happiness and misery, com-
fort and discomfort, depend upon ourselves and
upon acts or habits that are within our control ;
when it is remembered, too, how easily we accus-

33

THE FERN PARADISE.

torn ourselves to jog on in a round of monotonous
existence, when perhaps a slight, a very slight,
attention to the details of enjoyment would furnish
us with constant sources of pleasure, it will be
allowed that a most important object will be
secured if it be found possible successfully to
urge that such attention should be given to the
subject of which this volume treats.

The Author feels that in this address to the
reader he has already trenched upon matters which
have been dealt with in another part of the volume ;
but he is anxious in this place to put forth a good
plea for the object which he desires to effect; for
unless he can do so, he is conscious that he can
have no claim, as he has already said, upon the
reader's indulgence.

In conclusion, the Author would express the
earnest hope that his book may be the humble
means of increasing the popular taste for the
varied and exquisite forms of Fern life : a
taste which is certain to have a softening and
elevating influence on the popular mind. May
these graceful and feathery forms crowd in vast
numbers into our dwelling-houses, our gardens,

34

INTRODUCTORY.

and our places of business, shedding their soft
charms within the rude, rough sphere of this hurry-
ing, pushing, hard, and too practical modern life
of ours ! And if this volume may be the means
of shedding even the smallest additional ray of
happiness across the path of those who may
read it, the knowledge of such a result will be to
the Author the source of the most sincere and
heartfelt satisfaction.

The preceding introductory pages were pub-
lished, under the address of ' The Author to the
Reader,' as the Preface to the first three Editions
of 'THE FERN PARADISE :' and they briefly unfold
the aim and object of the volume. ' When, how-
ever, an Author ventures upon the course of
putting his suggestions into print, and issuing
them in book-form, he must be prepared for the
criticism of his Reviewers. Criticism is neces-
sarily of two kinds. The one kind relates to the
literary merits or demerits of a work : the other is
concerned with its subject, — its raison-d? etre.

Is the object of this volume one which it was

35

THE FERN PARADISE.

desirable to promote ? This is a question which
the Author hopes he may be allowed to answer
by an appeal to his Reviewers — and he has this
excuse for adopting such a course, namely, that
the inquiry is one that certainly possesses very
considerable interest for the Fern-loving public.
Indeed, there could be no justification for the
publication of a new Edition of this book, if there
were no reason for believing that the work might
still be useful — in however humble a degree — in
helping to extend yet further the love of Ferns
and Fern-culture.

First, then, the Author is glad to be assured by
one of his Reviewers that ' to bring home Fern-
huiiting and Fern-culture to the mind and eye
of the many' is 'an appropriate undertaking.'1
This Reviewer, whose writings have the genial
ring of a sincere lover of Nature, justly concludes
that the Author of this volume fi writes for the
million, eschews unattractive technicalities, and,
in his aim to add thousands to the already nume-
rous host of Fern-lovers and Fern-growers, trusts

1 The Saturday Review.

INTRODUCTORY.

almost solely to the description of the native
haunts of each of his favourites, with practical
hints how to transport them to garden, house-
window, or rockery, under such conditions that
they may flourish as an embellishment of home
and a reminiscence of pleasant outings.' The
same genial writer adds that ' Ferns, like most
things in Nature, are sensitive to thoughtful
tenderness, and repay that consideration which
consists, not in expensive outlay, but rather in
loving study of a plant's likings and dislikings ;
and, as the latter only involves observation, it is
obviously within the power of any one who will
bring home his treasures in a good-sized clump of
earth, sufficient to embed the unhurt roots, with
root-stock, crown, and fronds standing out from
it, to freshen and beautify his home in town with
souvenirs of agreeable wanderings afield.' Cer-
tainly one of the most important of the objects
sought to be attained by the publication of
this ' Plea for the culture of Ferns ' is the
bringing into the dreariest corners of cities
and towns some at least — if but a little — of
the ' green life ' of the country. ' There is no

37

THE FBEN PARADISE.

reason,' says the Saturday Reviewer, ' why trans-
planted Ferns should not gladden the interiors of
very humble homes, given a rudimentary know-
ledge of what a Fern is, and an excursion or two
no further than Bpping Forest, though excursion
trips now-a-days are cheap enough to allow of
going further afield.' He adds that 'to distin-
guish the haunts, differences, and particular con-
stitutions ' of Ferns takes ' time and patience,
though so favourite are they with persons of taste
that there is scarcely one to which some helpful
verse is not mentally tacked, as, for instance, with
regard to the Lady Fern in Waverley : —

* Where the copsewood is the greenest,
Where the fountain glistens sheenest,
Where the morning dew lies longest,
There the Lady Fern grows strongest.'

But, like every other study, love and patience give
the mastery of it, and it is a good thing to acquire
it by degrees.'

Another Reviewer, evidently penning his
pleasant criticisms under the influence of the
midsummer heats, exclaims, — 'A FERN paradise I

INTRODUCTORY.

— how exquisitely cool and refreshing is the very
name ! suggestive of stately and luxuriant tropical
growths, of great straggling lianas hanging from
tree to tree, with here and there a wreath or a
mass of gorgeously bright or brilliantly white
flowers, and in the dense, shady underwood, tall,
verdant plumes, springing from a massive brown
stem, like the capital from a graceful column;
and, beneath them, great glossy leaves and fronds
of every variety of growth and form, luxuriating
in the fertilizing influences of moisture, heat, and
shade. Or, again, the Fern paradise may suggest,
as it does to Mr. Heath, the more modest and
easily-attained glories of the Devonshire moorland
and delicious ' green lanes,' where grow in rich
profusion so many English varieties of the lovely
flowerless plants, inviting the wanderer not
merely to admire, but to study and cultivate
these, the easiest of all Nature's children to
transform into happy denizens of our houses
and gardens. For, given proper soil and treat-
ment, the Fern, in most cases independent of
breeze and sunshine, will not droop like an exile
when removed from its favourite haunts, and

39

THE FEEN PARADISK.

placed amidsb the bustle and grind and worry of
modern city life ; nor does it need the fostering
care, in despite of which too often our floral
beauties will pine and die; but in the garret or
cellar, as in the stately mansion, will flourish and
look green, refreshing the wearied spirit and
resting the tired brainr suggesting many a
thought of woods, green fields, and sweet wild
flowers, to those whose destiny is rarely, perhaps
never, to taste the delights of a health-giving
country ramble.'1 The same writer, in noticing
that one object of the Author of this £ Plea ' for
Fern-culture is ' to brighten the homes of the
poor by teaching them that a new source of
pleasure is within their easy reach,' remarks
that, — though the suggestions of the volume
must probably come to the poor at second-hand,
through those who take an interest in them, —
' with a little teaching, and by the force of
example, Fern -culture might be a source of
pleasure.' But he argues that, * when need
presses heavily, and the struggle for daily bread

1 The Spectator.

40

INTRODUCTORY.

already overtasks the failing energy, there will
be but little capacity for sentiment, fsw thoughts
to bestow upon Ferns or flowers.' ' Still,5 he
grants, ' more might be done, and as there has
been a great advance in window-gardening
amongst the working classes, mainly through the
stimulus of competition, and by the annual gifts
of flowers from the royal parks and gardens,
Fern-culture might, in like manner and with
greater ease, be developed.' This is, in substance,
granting all that the Author contends for. The
saying that when, for instance, ' Poverty comes
in at the door Love flies out at the window,' is, no
doubt, often exemplified in actual life. And, in
the same way, ' the struggle for daily bread '
must — in a degree at least — reduce the capacity
for indulging sentiment of any kind, including so
much of sentiment as would be involved in the
loving study and cultivation of Ferns. But there
are probably few amongst the poor whose lives,
— though deeply affected by the ' chill penury '
which freezes ' the genial current of the soul,' —
are utterly unrelieved by one small gleam of
sunshine ! And surely the poor man who has a

THE FERN PARADISE.

bright home — a bird that sings cheerily in its
cage when a momentary sunbeam finds its way
even into a London court, and fresh green plants
in every corner — is happier and calmer under the
influence of heavy troubles than he who has
nothing to relieve the crushing weight of poverty !
In one point, to which it is well to call espe-
cial attention here, the pleasant writer in The
Spectator somewhat misunderstands the Author
of this volume. The Reviewer thinks that in
* THE FERN PARADISE ' ' one of the most important
adjuncts to beauty' — namely contrast — is left
out of consideration. He remarks : * Why do we
admire so greatly the ferny growths, wherever
we see them? Not merely on account of their
intrinsic beauty, but because of their surround-
ings. In the glowing heat of the tropics, it is a
delight to plunge into the stillness of the forest
and to repose the eye with the contemplation of
the lush greenery, that seems as if it revelled in
its own teeming vigorous life ; and in our woods
and lanes, and by our waterfalls, we admire the
tender hues of the grass and Ferns, caused by the
glinting of the sunlight through the trees ; or the

42

INTKODUOTUliY.

fronds of darker colour, which grow in the shady
nooks into which we are so pleased to retire out
of the noonday heat, — we have left the sunlight
and the flowers for a time, and we revel in ' cool
grot and mossy cell,' but we do not mean to stay
there. Now, if any one has observed Ferns
growing on a rockery in a little dark court, or in
a tiny strip of garden where nothing else will
flourish, especially if he looks at them in the
gloomy weather which is the portion of Londoners
for the greater part of the year, we appeal to him
whether the sight has not added to his melan-
choly.' The Author cannot conceive tbat such a
sight should produce a feeling of melancholy.
But if looking at Ferns alone in gloomy weather
is calculated to excite such a feeling in any one,
by all means let the one so affected avoid looking
at his Ferns in gloomy weather. The Spectator
says, — £ For our parts, we would cultivate the
Ferns certainly, but always, where practicable, we
would unite them with flowers. In this way they
are invaluable.' In this suggestion the Author
is most heartily with his Reviewer. He does not
forget the advantages of contrast, and he would

43

THE FERN PARADISE.

certainly recommend the culture together of
Ferns and flowers wherever possible. But the
chief object of this volume is to provide for those
circumstances under which flowers will not grow
— to provide for the filling up — with ' something
which is fresh and green ' — of sunless and uncul-
tivated corners, now unutilized, bare, and plant-
less. And no plants, as is sufficiently shown in
the volume, are in every way so well adapted for
these ( fillings up ' as Ferns. Hence the pro-
posals of ' THE FERN PARADISE.' Yet the Author
fully endorses the following suggestions of The
Spectator :—' A plant-case, or even a window-
box, can be kept beautiful, at very small expense,
by being filled, in the first instance, with Ferns,
with a carpet of moss, spaces being made here
and there by the insertion of an empty pot of
sufficient size for the reception of a flowering
plant or two in its season, which will look doubly
beautiful from its verdant surroundings. These
little window-gardens, too, need not be costly,
especially where either a tiny bow-window or a
broad window- seat may happen to exist ; and if
on a ground-floor, with a little outside space,

44

INTRODUCTORY.

however small, a rustic raised bed against the
window, planted with ivy or hardy Ferns, and
filled up with something gay, will make even a
mean suburban villa look charming.' The writer
in The Spectator concedes that, though in all cases
he would prefer the mingling of flowers with
Ferns, the Author of ' THE FERN PARADISE ' will
' probably make a great many converts to his way
of thinking.' The Author trusts and believes
that he has been enabled to inoculate some of his
readers with his own love of Ferns, and he will
have reason to hope for still more converts to his
way of thinking if future readers will adopt the
pleasant suggestion with which the writer in The
Spectator closes his pleasant review, namely, to
take up this volume as ' one to be lazily studied '
in one of its Author's ' favourite nooks, leaning
against a granite boulder, almost hidden by Ferns
and mosses, with graceful, drooping trees above
you, and a companion of kindred tastes with
whom to share your enjoyment.'

The eloquent tribute of a Quarterly Reviewer
to the gracefulness and beauty of Ferns will find
an appropriate place here, especially as the same

45

THE FERN PARADISE.

writer ascribes the love of what is most beautiful
in Nature to the refining influence of civilization .
He says, — { The more advanced civilization is, and
the more developed our natural tastes, the more
do we seek admiring and loving communion with
Nature in its ten thousand forms of magnificence
and beauty. Its rising and setting suns, its
clouds and shadows, its mountain ranges and
forests, its great seas and running streams,,
attract our attention and relieve the hardness and
monotony of business and every-day life. None
of the plants which adorn our world exceed in
beauty, gracefulness, and variety the Ferns, which
are so fitted to lend a charm to sunless and arid
spots.'1 'It is impossible/ exclaims the Re-
viewer, ' to look on these plants, clothed in
foliage rich and graceful, and presenting that
freshness of colour to the eye which verdure
never fails to yield, without feeling an inner,
inexpressible pleasure, which statuary and paint-
ing cannot excite. And all can command this
pleasure to a certain extent. The man whose

1 The British Quarterly Review.

INTRODUCTORY.

yard or garden extends only to a few feet, or who
has a window-sill in a sunless court, may culti-
vate these plants and enjoy their freshness and
beauty.'

Writing at the same time, another Quarterly
He viewer freely admits that the graceful forms of
Ferns ' do furnish a most admirable adornment
for our dwellings, and that the interest taken in their
cultivation must prove a source of pure pleasure,
which cannot but have some effect upon the minds
of men.'1'"

In noticing the Author's suggestions, a writer
in a morning journal remarks, — ' The love of
flowers is now very strongly developed in the
Londoner — indeed, it is questionable whether in
any city, even in Paris, is their cultivation in every
available nook, and in the windows, alike of rich
and poor, carried so far. The formation of
societies for the encouragement of cottage gar-
dening has tended to stimulate its growth, and
there can be no doubt that among the agencies for
the elevation and refinement of the poor there are

1 The Westminster Review.

47

THE FERN PARADISE.

few which exceed that of the culture of flowers
We agree heartily with the Author, that in the con-
fined atmosphere and badly -lighted rooms of many
of our working-class some of the hardy Ferns
would be likely to flourish much better than
flowering plants, and that many a useless back-
yard might, with patience, attention, and a small
outlay, be converted into miniature ' Fern para-
dises.' In conservatories, properly constructed,
Ferns will grow luxuriantly, and it is surprising
that more of these charming ferneries are not
built in situations where the proximity of the
backs of other houses compels at present the use
of ground glass in back drawing-room windows.'1
Another Reviewer in a morning journal remarks
that ' of all kinds of window gardening Fern-
culture is the most delightful, the cheapest, and
the least troublesome.'2 This writer explains
why it is that on the part of some people the love
of Ferns becomes a passion. He says, — i To those
who have any appreciation of the subtle grace
and tender beauty of organic form, no plants are

1 The Standard. 2 The Daily Telegraph.

48

INTRODUCTORY.

more passionately loved than Ferns.' It is in-
deed probable that the pursuit of no other branch
of natural history has the same peculiar attraction
for its votaries as the pursuit of the study of
Ferns. Those, indeed, who have become thoroughly
inoculated with the passion for Ferns know well
what a singular fascination the search for and
cultivation of these beautiful plants have for
them; and this effect is undoubtedly produced,
as The Daily Telegraph remarks, by the ' subtle
grace and tender beauty ' of the flowerless
plants.

A professional writer thinks that the sugges-
tions in 'THE FERN PARADISE' will be welcomed by
' those who desire to see town life rendered
fresher and pleasanter than it is at present, when
the highest adjuncts of civilization have to be
paid for by the entire absence of that beauty of
form and colour which delights the eye in the
country.'1 'The conditions of city life,' he con-
tinues, ' have brought together immense crowds
of inhabitants, and the green fields have perished

1 The British Architect.

49

THE FERN PARADISE.

as though smitten by a plague of locusts. The
desire to have some green remembrancer of the
country side gives the key-note to Mr. Heath's
book. Ho\v may the flowerless and treeless
monotony of the city be remedied ? Is it possible
to alter the present condition of things, and to
clothe our streets with shade and verdure, and to
make our desert places blossom like the rose ?
This problem is now attracting the attention of
many earnest observers, and has been repeatedly
referred to in these pages. Mr. Heath's work is
a distinct contribution to the solution of this ques-
tion. Whether regarded from an aesthetic or from
a philanthropic point of view, the question is one
of exceeding interest.' As to the practicability
of utilizing Ferns for purposes of ornamentation,
the writer in The British Architect accepts the
conclusions of the Author of this volume, agree-
ing that we have at hand in Ferns ' a very cheap
and effective instrument for both internal and ex-
ternal decoration,' and one that 'is capable of
being far more extensively used than is at present
the case ;' and expressing further the belief that at
least one result of the Author's ' Plea' for Fern-

INTRODUCTORY.

culture { will be an increased attention to the
capabilities of the Fern in decoration,' and ex-
pressing the hope that we may soon have ' Fern
paradises in every city.'

How far the Author's suggestions may be made
to affect the poor, is a consideration which must
possess a good deal of interest for the philan-
thropic. There is no class of persons so in-
timately and largely concerned with the welfare
of the poor as the clergy, and it will be appro-
priate, therefore, to refer in this place to the
remarks of a journal which in an especial sense
represents the clergy. Says a writer in this
journal, — ' A very happy idea has given rise to
4 THE FERN PARADISE.' Mr. Heath has noticed,
with a keen eye of sympathy, the efforts made
by poor dwellers in towns to reproduce in their
windows or courts the floral charms of the
country. But these efforts are commonly con-
fined to flowers. Why should not Ferns be
added ? They will grow everywhere, and they
do not need sunshine. He has accordingly
written this book chiefly to induce an interest
for them among this class, and to give direc-

THE FISRN PARADISE.

tions for their successful culture. We heartily
wish him success.'1

A weekly journal, which is widely read by the
working classes, in commenting on the Author's
suggestions, remarks, — ' The poor work-folk of
this country have assuredly few artistic tastes,
and the fact is not wonderful, seeing how difficult
it is for them to encourage any such instincts they
may have; but they have an overweening love of
flowers. The dreariest window in Westminster is
enlivened with one pot, at all events, of sweet-
smelling blossoms, which have been carefully reared
from a struggling root. If Ferns take the place
of these, for the most part, unsuccessfully-
developed flowers, an abundant crop will answer
the care of the lovers of Nature, who are anxious
to have what is familiarly called ' a bit of green ' in
their homes. There is no defining what good, at
some moment or other, that ' bit of green ' may
not effect in the human heart.'2 The writer of
this notice concluded that at the Author's bidding
' Ferns would be certain to spring up in many

1 The Guardian. 2 Lloyd's Newspaper.

INTRODUCTORY.

homes ;' and in illustration of the interest which
the subject of this notice possesses for the class to
which it especially refers, the following letter,
received a few days after it appeared, may be
quoted : —

' Fairy Grotto, Oley Place, Stepney Green.
TO THE AUTHOR OP 'THE FERN PARADISE.'

SIR, — I am tempted to trouble you, after read-
ing an interesting review of your ' FERN PARADISE '
in Lloyd's. As far back as my memory serves me,
I was ever fond of making the most of parti-
cularly common things. When a boy I used to take
a delight in cultivating a few wild flowers and
different grasses. My fancy has gone on from
then till now ; for in the smallest and most insig-
ficant public garden (perhaps) in the whole world
I still indulge my taste by cultivating a few
bits of green — such as sorrel, chick weed, clover,
grasses, and other wild things that I do not know
the names of. What life there is in my little bit of
green in my little grotto garden I should feel a great
pleasure in showing to you, privately, by gaslight.
I am, sir, yours respectfully,

H. DEVEY.'

53

THE EERN PABADISE.

The Author was greatly interested by his visit
to Mr. Devey's * Fairy Grotto ; ' for in one of the
smallest of tiny back-yards he found a really mar-
vellous illustration of what can be accomplished
by patience, industry, and skill during odd
moments stolen from a laborious calling. There
was an ingenious imitation of a stalactite cavern,
with an outlook seawards, the sea being extem-
porized by a clever contrivance. There were
miniature fountains, with rock work and wild
plants — some planted in interstices between the
stones, others hung around in festoons. Odd
pieces of china and glass were manufactured by
the aid of cement into ornamental flower-pots,
each of which was filled with some flowering

o

plant or weed. In short, all kinds of odds and
ends were turned to a floral purpose, and made to
adorn a working man's ' paradise ' — for such
this little place really was to Mr. Devey. And
everything was carefully and lovingly tended. At
stated intervals the tiny garden was thrown open
to the public, the charge of one penny being made
to visitors; and the revenue thus derived was
only just sufficient to cover the outlay on the

54

INTRODUCTORY.

'Grotto.' But for this, its originator would
probably not have been able to indulge his com-
mendable taste. He was anxious to have the
Author's opinion as to the practicability of adding
Ferns to his little stock of plants, and he was
greatly pleased to learn that it was just in such a
situation as that of the ' Fairy Grotto' that Ferns
would grow, and that they would not miss the
sunshine, and would add more grace to their ex-
temporized surroundings than the weeds and
other wild growths which Mr. Devey had brought
into such close companionship with himself in
his tiny garden.

55

Given the sight of a river as it rolls through the valley from its mountain home.'

Page 57.

FE BN LAN D

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

the pure air which, with its
buoyant and life-giving power,
roams in sweetness and freedom
over mountain and plain, hill-
side, meadow, and stream, and
wherever the rich gifts of Nature,
far away from the habitations of man,
abound in spontaneous luxuriance. Given
the sight of a river as it rolls through
the valley from its mountain home, fresh
from dews and vapours, unsullied by contact with
towns and cities ; or of a streamlet whose smaller
volume winds its silvery thread through the
moorland. Given the sight and sound of a
gurgling brook, as it babbles and sparkles over

X

57

THE FERN PARADISE.

stones and shallows, meandering by copse and
through mead. Given the wild paths of a wood
through which to wander free and untrammelled,
surrounded by the wealth of glorious trees,
soothed by the soft sounds of insect life, and
charmed by the song of birds. Given the sweet
presence of plants and shrubs, of grass and
flowers, clothed each and all with rich and beauti-
ful tints — gifts which the all-wise Creator has
spread out upon the earth with a splendid liberality,
offering them alike to rich and to poor. Given,
we say, all these choice things, together with a
healthy mind in a healthy body, and he who has
them possesses the elements of physical enjoy-
ment.

But all cannot share such enjoyment. To some,
Nature is like a sealed book ; and these cannot
sip from the cup which, overflowing with plea-
sure, she holds up as a free gift to mankind. Pent
up, perhaps, in the heart of a great city, walled-in
from all that is beautiful in Nature, their eyes are
never gladdened by the sight of woods, green
fields, and sweet wild-flowers ; their ears are never
charmed by the songs of birds that roam free and

' Given the wild paths of a wood through which to wander.'

Page 5*

C 2

INTRODUCTION TO FERN LAND.

untamed among their native covers. To them the
fresh breeze laden with soft perfumes never comes.
Hard toil in city workshops, squalid homes in city
slums, privation and suffering of every kind, are
their lot. Others there are — dwellers also in towns
and cities — who can at times, though rarely,
snatch a few hours from their toilsome labours
for a brief glimpse at the beautiful in Nature.
Others again there are who can devote longer
periods to the relaxation and enjoyment
afforded by a ramble across country meads and
through country lanes, by the silvery waters of
the flowing brook, and through the shady wood-
land.

There are still a great many others whose op-
portunities for enjoying the country are unlimited.
Time and money are at their disposal, and if they
do not live in the country, they can at any time
and at any season transport themselves thither.
To each and to all, to the rich as well as to the
poor, and to one no more than to the other, God
offers the bounties of the natural world. But how
different are the degrees of appreciation of these
bounties on the part of those who share them !

61

THE FEKN PAKADISE.

How keen is the enjoyment of those who can
find-

' Books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, arid good ii* everything ! '

The book of Nature is indeed beautiful to those
who can read it. But those who cannot read it all
can read a part of it. Some of its stories are full
of sweet simplicity. Page after page can some-
times be turned, and the reader will encounter
nothing to dismay him ; nothing even to puzzle him.
But the simple study of Nature is too frequently
made a hard task by those who profess to teach.

Botany is one of the most beautiful of natural
studies, because it tells us all about the glorious
vegetation which springs from the earth. Yet are
there not thousands who do not understand
botany? To seme the study is too difficult.
Others can find no opportunities for pursuing it.
But all would like to know something of the beau-
tiful vegetable world ; something less — less formal,
less difficult — than what is usually to be found in
books, and something more than can be learned
from the mute language — eloquent nevertheless in
its muteness — of the plants themselves. Why

62

Books in the running brooks.'

Page 62.

INTRODUCTION TO FEEN LAND.

is it that so few attempts are made to render
popular the study of plants ? Our artists on
paper and canvas attempt to reproduce the gor-
geous colouring of Nature's garments. Why can-
not our writers give us word-painting in their
descriptions of plants, instead of using only the
unpoetic language of science ? Why cannot more
of the grace and beauty with which the Creator has
endowed the natural world be reproduced in books?

Amongst the most graceful and beautiful of the
many lovely forms of vegetable life are the Ferns.
Of plants they are the least prosaic. Representing
the beauty of form as distinguished from the gor-
geousness of colouring, they are endowed with a
tender and romantic grace. To study them is one
of the most popular of pursuits, to cultivate them
has become a popular passion. But thousands
would be added to the great host of Fern-lovers if
Fern-literature were not so difficult to understand,
and so unattractive.

The tourist makes a dive into a country lane.
Charmed with the varied and glorious forms of
Fern-life which he meets, he resolves to study the
objects which have had so pleasing a fascination

THE FERN PARADISE.

for Mm. He obtains a Fern-book ; but after
reading two or three pages he wearily throws it
aside. Should it chance to contain coloured en-
gravings of his favourites, he may linger for a few
moments over it ; but when he has once scanned
the artist's efforts, he has seen all that he desires
to see.

It is the old story. The language of science, as
generally rendered by our scientific writers, is a
language for the few, and science will never be

o o

popular until it is popularly taught. ' The lan-
guage of flowers ' has been taught ; cannot an
attempt be made to teach the language of Ferns ?

These beautiful plants seem to be especially
designed for universal cultivation, for even the
tiniest of the species in each of the numerous
wonderful and exquisitely formed seed-cases con-
cealed at the back of its fronds bears countless
myriads of seeds. The common kinds of Ferns-
common only in the sense of being plentiful — are
to be found almost everywhere ; but the home of
our native Ferns is Devonshire — ' the Garden of
England.'

Amidst all our English counties, Devonshire

66

•Amidst all our English counties Devonshire stands unrivalled for the exquisite
loveliness of its scenery.'

Page 66.

INTRODUCTION TO FEEN LAND.

stands unrivalled for the exquisite loveliness of its
scenery. Few of those who have climbed its bold
heights, crossed its rugged moorlands, and wan-
dered through its shady woods and its delightful
green lanes, will be inclined to dispute this asser-
tion, however familiar they may be with English
landscapes. It is the marvellous variety of its
scenery which constitutes the peculiar charm of
this county — the rugged boldness of its many hills
contrasting with the soft grace of its valleys. Its
majestic coast-lines tower defiantly against the sky,
both on its north and on its south seaboard — now
frowning with barren but lofty grandeur at the
waves, now clothed from the highest point of the
cliff: to the water's edge with one deep dark mass of
vegetation. But there is not even a grand mono-
tony in the lines of noble cliffs along the coast of
Devonshire. There is no monotony at all; for
the grand rocks sink at intervals, to give place to
magnificent bays, which sweep gracefully from
cliff's point to cliff's point, and help to fling over
the coast scenery of this, the most beautiful of
English counties, the same aspect of variety which
is its most charming characteristic.

69

THE FERN PARADISE.

Those only who have explored the Devonshire
coast along the Bristol Channel on the north, and
along the English Channel on the sonth, and who
are also familiar with the interior of the county,
can properly realise the extreme magnificence of
its landscapes. But we believe that thousands of
the tourists who annually visit the western ' Gar-
den of England ' — for Devonshire well deserves
that appellation — whilst deeply impressed with the
general loveliness of the county, nevertheless find
it difficult to explain what it is that lends the pecu-
liar character of softness and grace to the scenery.
Here is the secret. The whole county is richly and
luxuriantly clothed with Ferns. The number and
variety of the most exquisite forms of these beauti-
ful plants to be found in Devonshire are equalled by
those of no other county in the United Kingdom.
Devonshire is emphatically the ( paradise ' of the
British Ferns. There they are in very truth at
home. The soil and the air are adapted to them,
and they adapt themselves to the whole aspect of
the place. They clothe its hill-sides and its hill-
tops ; they grow in the moist depths of its valleys ;
they fringe the banks of its streams ; they are to

70

INTRODUCTION TO FERN LAND.

be found in the recesses of its woods ; they hang
from rocks and walls and trees, and crowd into
the towns and villages, fastening themselves with
sweet familiarity even to the houses.

Devonshire abounds in warm, moist, and shady
nooks ; and Ferns delight in warmth, moisture,
and shade. Though they love the warmth, they
avoid the sun, and when accidentally exposed to
its full influence, their delicate fronds become
shrivelled and discoloured. Yet these beautiful
plants do occasionally coquet with the tiny sun-
beam which may perchance find its way through
some crevice in their cool rocky home, or through
the thick foliage of the hedge-row under whose
darkest shade they love to grow. But even the
Ferns are changeable in their moods, and fickle in
their attachments, differing from one another in
their habits and modes of growth. Some members
of the lovely family will boldly grow in situations
where, perched on rocky corners, away from the
cool shelter of overhanging shrubs, they are ex-
posed to the full blaze of the sun, and roughly
blown upon by the wild force of the wind. Others
only seek to bathe the tips of their delicate fronds

THE FERN PARADISE,

in sunshine, hiding all beside under damp masses
of foliage. Others again will bear the sunlight if
they can just find a refuge for their roots in the
damp hedge-bank, in the moist crevices of walls
and ruins, or amidst the interlaced branches of
trees. There are others still which hide where not
even the tiniest ray of sunlight can pierce the dark
retreat which they choose, and where they can
revel in soft and humid warmth. But all Ferns,
even the sunniest of the modest family, love
moisture and shade the best, and though they
will sometimes grow in the full sunlight, become
developed into their most mature forms in cool and
shady situations.

It is, then, the beautiful and unrivalled forms of
Fern-life which fling over Devonshire scenery its
almost indescribable charm. Peer at low tide into
yon dark and dripping cavern which yawns upon
the sea ! The bright sunshine that dances upon
the rippling waves pauses at the cavern's mouth,
as if not daring to penetrate its gloomy depths.
But just one tiny gleam of light has ventured to
cross the threshold, and sparkling on the dripping
water, it flashes through the opaque blackness a

72

INTRODUCTION TO FERN LAND.

kind of electric light. As the water falls, drip .
drip ! into the pool below, the light increases, and
then — oh, glorious sight ! — you see at the side and
on the roof of this lonesome sea-cave the beauti-
ful Sea Spleenwort (Asplenium mar-muni), hiding
its roots in the cavern- walls, and spreading out
its bright green and shining fronds, that they may
luxuriate in the dark humidity of its chosen re-
treat. Or peer over yonder cliff, whose inacces-
sible sides overhang the seething waves ! Look
closely into the shady cleft which nestles under
yon projecting spur ! There you may see, far out
of your reach, one of the most rare and exquisite
of the British Ferns — the True Maidenhair
(Adiantum capiUus-Veneris). Could you venture
near enough to grasp it in your hand, you would
indeed recognize that it is one of the most exqui-
site of plants. Its fine black wiry frond-stems
like a dark maiden's hair — it is most appropriately
named — rise in clusters from its crown, the main
frond-stems being branched with smaller and more
beautiful hair-like stems, which bear upon their
tender points the delicate, light-green, fan-
shaped leaflets.

73

THE FERN PARADISE.

Wandering through, the cool lanes of Devon-
shire you may, too, meet with the fragrant Hay-
scented Buckler Fern (Lastrea rec.urva), which
emits so beautiful an odour when pressed in the
hand ; with the delicately and transparently-
leaved Marsh Buckler Fern (Lastrea tlielypteris) ;
with the Mountain Buckler Fern (Lastrea mon-
tana), whose silvery fronds make the air fragrant
when you tread upon them in their incipient un-
rolled state. But these varieties are not to be
commonly encountered in every Devonshire lane.
And still rarer — though found in Devonshire — are
the Lanceolate Spleenwort (Asplenium lanceola-
tum), the tiny Forked Spleenwort (Asplenium
septentrionale), the Tunbridge Filmy Fern (Hy-
menophyllum tunbridgense), and Wilson's Filmy
Fern (Hymenophyllum unilaterale). The Moon wort
(Botrychium lunaria), and the Common Adders-
tongue (Ophioglossum vulgatum), are also Ferns of
Devonshire growth. We do but enumerate these,
and pass on to speak of some of the Ferns which
may be seen in almost every Devonshire lane, and
which, although common in the sense of being
plentiful, are nevertheless amongst the mostbeau-

74

INTRODUCTION TO FERN LAND.

tiful of the British. Ferns. Yet beautiful as are
the varieties of which we shall speak, they are
within the reach of all who may choose to gather
them, and that is our reason for devoting especial
attention to these varieties.

Gentle reader, will you follow us in imagination
whilst we endeavour to describe to you some
Devonshire lanes which are familiar to uy ? And
please remember that, exquisitely beautiful as
they are, they are nevertheless but types of thou-
sands of other lanes that the ordinary tourist may
find for himself, in his rambles after Ferns in
the c Fern-paradise ' of England. When we have
described these lanes, and have noted the Ferns
which we shall find in them, we will try to show
how every one may have in his own home,
wherever that may be, a real ' Fern-paradise.5

The time is midsummer, and the hot sun is pouring down his rays with fiery
intensity.'

Page 77.

CHAPTER II.

A PARADISE OF FEENS.

into the heart of a Devon-
shire lane ! The time is mid-
summer, and the hot sun is pour-
ing down his rays with burning
intensity. But in yonder lane
trees on each hedge that bounds
the narrow pathway shoot up against the
sky, and folding over at the top, shut
out with their glorious masses of leaves
the fiery heat. Beneath, the coolness is
delicious, and the verdant foliage which bounds
the view on every side, tempts the enamoured
tourist to plunge into the depths of this
cool retreat. But the walk through it must
be a saunter, because its many and varied

•f

77

THE FEIW PARADISE.

forms of Fern-life should be examined to be
enjoyed.

We will not generalise. We will paint no ima-
ginary picture; but we will just describe our
own impressions of two Devonshire lanes which,
amongst scores of others, we recently visited
during the summer. We might be pardoned for
giving a glowing description of the scenery of our
native county; but ours will be no 'glowing'
description in the sense in which the word is used
to mean exaggerated. JSTo verbal description can
accurately convey to the mind a fair and true
picture of the exquisite loveliness of the green
lanes to which we refer. The most brilliant word-
painting would pale before the reality. Roughly,
during our summer visit to Devonshire, we noted
down our impressions of what we saw, and we
will endeavour to reproduce those impressions on
paper.

We must premise that, although the town in
South Devon, of which we would speak, can of
itself claim no especial notice, the scenery in its
neighbourhood is surpassed by that of no other
part of Devonshire. It is on ' the English

A PAEADISE OP .FERNS.

Rhine ; ' for the Dart is the only English river
which can claim, with its intended significance,
that distinctive title.

Prom the brow of a hill whose summit, about a
mile from the town, commands a magnificent
prospect of hill, dale, and river, two lanes run,
uniting in a point at the hill-top, but spreading
away from each other as they sweep downwards
towards the river's brink.

On leaving the town in the vicinity of the Quay
the road turns round to the right, passes between
high, moss-covered walls, and, after a short and
sharp ascent for a few yards, suddenly wheels
round to the left, and narrows into the dimensions
of a lane. Turning for a moment before con-
tinuing the ascent, we get a lovely peep of the
cluster of houses lying just a little below us, with
the church tower rising from their midst.

Now — wending upwards — the path narrows
still more between high hedges which rise on each
side. Two or three more graceful bendings to
right and to left, and then our lane suddenly
widens as if to invite the tourist to pause in his
ascent, and turn round.

79

THE EERN PARADISE.

The view will well repay a look, for a charming
sight is spread out below — hill-side and valley,
town and river.

Upwards — narrowing as it goes — winds the
lane. And now, for a moment, the bright valley
which we have left below us is forgotten in the
new sight which refreshes the eye. Hitherto the
sunlight has shone upon the path ; but here our
lane becomes suddenly darkened as it creeps
under the shadow of higher hedge-banks, and of
overhanging trees. Just one glance through a
breach in the shady mound which helps to shut
out the sunshine, and the eye will catch a lovely
glimpse of the hill-side sloping down into the
valley below. The bright peep charmingly con-
trasts with the dark depths of the lane. But in
this dark and cool retreat Fern-life is predomi-
nant.

On the right the thick hedge-bank is covered
with an almost impenetrable mass of bushes, which
rise high above its top, shedding upon it the dim-
ness of evening twilight. Growing out against
the dark background of bushes are some luxuriant
specimens of the Common Hartstongue (Scolo-

80

A PARADISE OF FERNS.

pendr-ium vulgare), one of the most easily recog-
nizable of the British Ferns, with its crumpled
tongue-shaped frond, growing sometimes to the
length — stem and frond together — of three feet.
The thick and rich-looking yet leathery texture of
the fronds of the Hartstongue, with their deep and
shining green colour, make them look exquisitely
cool and refreshing, rising up out of the dark
hedge-bank as they do in thick and clustering tuftf-
— sometimes almost erect, at other times grace-
fully bending backwards their shining, leathery
tips. Underneath the curling tongue-shaped
fronds, lie the curious rows of seeds (spores),
whose rich reddish-brown colour beautifully con-
trasts with the deep, shining green of the frond.

The Hartstongue is a bold free plant. You will
find it growing almost everywhere in Devonshire :
on the tops and at the sides of walls; hanging
from old ruins ; growing out from the sides of
cliffs and deserted quarries ; dropping down its
long green fronds into the cool and limpid water
of road-side wells hewn out of the rock : often ex-
posed to the full blaze of the sun, but always in
such cases dwindled down to a tiny size. The

81

THE FERN PARADISE.

Hartstongue is to be found in almost every con-
ceivable form, from a tiny thing of half an inch in
length, when growing on a bare, dry wall, to a
plant which is one rich, thick mass of delightful
curling fronds, each one a yard long, when grow-
ing in a moist bed of leaf -mould in the dark recess
of some hedge.

Far out of our reach on the top of the high
hedge-bank, are some noble specimens of the Male
Fern (Lastrea filix-mas), so called from its erect
and robust manner of growth. From the crown,
densely covered with rust-coloured scales, spring
a close circle of beautiful fronds, whose under
surface is thickly covered with the scales which
are so prominent a characteristic of this noble-
looking Fern. There it grows, perched shuttle-
cock fashion on the top of the hedge, the points
of its fronds gracefully turned outwards, its crown
resting just above the surface of leaf-mould, into
the depths of which its long fine rootlets are
plunged. The whole plant rests under the cool
shadow of the trees. For years this hedge-bank
has evidently been left untouched, and the annual
crops of leaves falling from tree and bush, have

82

A PARADISE OF FEKNS.

piled upon it a rich mass of pure vegetable mould,
in which the Ferns delight to grow.

In this same spot, and growing side by side
with the Hartstongue and Male Fern, are to be
found specimens of two other of the large-growing
species of the British Ferns — the Broad Buckler
Fern (Lastrea dilatata), and the Soft Prickly
Shield Fern (Polysticlmm angular e). Both, when
finely grown, are most splendid objects. The
former is one of the most handsome of our native
Ferns, its broad arching fronds sweeping upwards
and outwards with exquisite grace, and sometimes
attaining like the Male Fern, to which it is closely
allied, a height of four or five feet. The chief
characteristic of the Soft Prickly Shield Fern is
the minute and beautiful manner in which its
fronds are divided into small, angular- shaped, saw-
edged leaflets. It is often densely clothed with
rich brown scales, which contrast finely with the
dark, deep green of its fronds.

Turning now away from the dark shelter of
overhanging trees, the pathway, wending upwards
still, passes between high hedges, whose dark and
tangled vegetation almost meets overhead. Here,

THE FERN PA RADISH.

rising from the deep, rich soil of the hedge-bank,
are some Brakes (Pteris aquilina). These are the
giants of the British Fern family, growing in
their branching tree-like form to a height some-
times of ten feet. Peering into the dark depths
of the hedges on either side, we discover, trailing
out of the close masses of ivy which encircle the
gnarled and matted roots of the trees, the pretty
fronds of the Common Polypody (Polypodium
vulgare). The Polypody, like the Hartstongue,
will grow almost anywhere — on walls, on hedge-
banks, and on trees ; but it becomes a puny plant
when growing in dry, hot, and exposed situations.
It delights most to nestle amongst the twisted
branches of pollard-trees. There its creeping
fleshy roots — feeding on the rich leaf-mould which
collects in the crevices between the matted roots
of ivy — love to hide, and from these moist nooks
are sent out numerous tufts of bright green, nar-
row, lance-shaped fronds — stems, midribs, with
alternate lance-shaped leaflets, each leaflet mid-
ribbed in its turn, and beautifully veined through-
out; the round golden masses of spores —
each mass collected in lines on the backs of

A PARADISE OF FERNS.

the leaflets — giving to the plant a beautiful
appearance.

Our lane still winds onwards and upwards, now
widening as if to afford a prospect of the rich
scenery lying below us, now sinking between high
hedges, which get higher and higher, as the steep
path contends with the steeper hill. At length
we reach the brow of the acclivity, and turning
round, we can command one of the finest pros-
pects in all England. Away straight below us lie
clustering houses, beautifully embowered in or-
chards and fruit-gardens, with the church tower
rising calmly above the whole. On the right of
the town, still away below us, the eye delightedly
rests on a wide extent of undulating meadows and
tree-covered uplands. Beyond, the wooded up-
lands rise steeper and steeper, until, in the dim
horizon, a line of lofty hills, looming against the
sky, bounds the view. Far away in the same
direction, the sunlight is reflected from the silvery
stream of the Dart, where, flowing at the feet of
two wooded hills, it brightly contrasts with the
dark lines of trees.

To the left of the town, in the dim distance,

THE FEKN PARADISE.

are seen the wild moorlands stretching away far
over the country. There the lovely Dart takes
its rise, expanding its tiny stream as it moves
onward, until, swollen to a torrent, it roars
through deep ravines, foams over rocks and boul-
ders, and still coming on ! on ! by wood-crowned
heights and smiling upland meadows, it rolls into
sight. Everywhere too, as far as the eye can
reach, there is a thick network of green lanes,
giving a marvellous aspect of diversity to the
whole scene.

Two or three steps from the brow of the hill
whence this noble prospect is obtained, a turning
round to the right will lead back to the town,
through a lane which is indeed a veritable para-
dise of Ferns. The narrow pathway winds down-
wards for a full mile between two tall hedges,
whose topmost branches here and there meet
overhead, forming a natural archway, so densely
interwoven in some places as almost to exclude
the daylight; now widening sufficiently to form
a delightful green vista, now narrowing until the
hedges on each side almost meet, and there is
only sufficient room for the tourist to brush

86

A PARADISE OF FERNS.

between the luxuriant masses of vegetation which
stand out from the hedge-banks. During one
part of the way the lane runs at the foot of a
dark wood. Then continuing its course it seems
almost to sink into the earth, whilst high Fern-
covered banks rise on each side. For a part of
the distance a limpid stream trickles down the
declivity. The ground is literally carpeted with
grass and wild flowers ; and everywhere, hanging
out of the pollard trunks, densely clothing the
hedge-banks, and groAving along the edge of the
trickling stream, Ferns are to be found in count-
less numbers. In places where the path has been
cut deeply through the soft slate rock, the high
banks of the cutting rise upwards almost perpendi-
cularly, excluding the sunshine ; and there, in the
moist interstices between the soft fragments of
stone, are numerous species of the rock-loving
Ferns, luxuriating most in places where the water
is percolating through the surface of the embank-
ment. Growing in positions where its tiny crown
secures protection under some small jutting point
of rock, is the little Wall Rue (Asplenium ruta
muraria), a very diminutive Fern, with pretty

THE FERN PARADISE.

little fronds. It lias a great love for rotten stone
and mortar, and is often found growing on the
sides of houses. It is a very hardy little Fern,
and will thrive in the sunshine, but most loves
moist and sheltered nooks.

Growing by the side of the Wall Rue is the
beautiful Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium tri-
cliomanes). Its fibrous wiry rootlets insinuate
themselves into the crevices between the stones,
and its crown throws up a dense mass of
exquisite little fronds, with stems like shining
black hairs, and with little bright-green, round,
saw-edged leaflets alternately placed on each
side of the stems, along the greater part of
their length.

Following the downward course of the lane we
come, in the most cool, damp, and shady places,
upon numbers of the Lady Fern (Atkyrium filix-
fcemina), perhaps the most graceful of the larger
British Ferns. Its drooping feathery fronds are
indeed, when finely grown, extremely beautiful,
and the entire plant forms the most conspicuous
ornament of the places in which it delights to
grow. It throws up its fronds oftentimes in

88

A PARADISE OF FERNS.

dense tufts ; but it is to be found in perfection
only in very moist and shady situations.

Now, as we go downwards, we pass over a tiny
stream crossed by a rude bridge ; and here over-
head the tangled bushes again meet, throwing on
bridge and stream a dark shadow* Down almost
by the water's edge, revelling in the moist and
shady situation, are growing innumerable little
tufts of the Scaly Spleenwort (Asplenium ceteravh).
The Scaly Spleenwort is, in truth, a charming*
little plant. The upper surface of the simple
saw-edged frond is dark green ; its texture is like
velvet. Underneath, the surface of the frond is
completely swathed in rich brown scales, where,
snugly hiding, lie the spores.

Here, as we reach the end of this green lane,
the singular grace and the exceeding loveliness of
the scene appear to blend in one harmonious
whole. We lean over the rude parapet of the
bridge. Trees above us cast cool shadows upon
all round and underneath them. Gurgling and
sparkling along below us the brook babbles on its
way ; now foaming in playful fancy over its tiny
stones ; now smoothly resting in mimic pools ;

89

fiRN FAHAD1SE.

THE

now rushing down in a miniature cascade, as its
bed falls suddenly out of its smooth and even
descent ; and finally, with a parting ' gurgle,'
disappearing under the dark arch of the bridge.
On all sides, growing out of the steep bank that
bounds the brook, dropping from the moss-
covered sides of the bridge, perched on the tops
of the tiny boulders that peep out of the water,
Ferns drop the tips of their wavy fronds into the
cool, mirror-like surface of the stream.

Above, around, beneath us, Ferns, Ferns, a
paradise of Ferns I

90

CHAPTER III.

FER^Y RAMBLES IN SOUTH DEVON.

HAT can be more delightful for the
!B)§ tired and jaded dwellers in our
crowded cities, after dragging on
an unhealthy existence during the
Ions: winter months within the
domain of bricks and mortar, than
a swift journey away out of the smoke,
the bustle, the din, and the worry of city
life, in the joyous month of May? A
swift journey it must be, so that the dis-
agreeable surroundings of the town may be
rapidly left behind, and the loveliness of the
fields and hedge-rows may, as rapidly, burst on
the tired eyes— tired, that is to say, of the stale
sight of paved streets and tall houses, but eager,

I) 2

THE FEKN PAKAD1SE.

with an inexpressible eagerness, for the trees and
green lanes of the country.

And if a journey anywhere to green fields and
green trees be delightful, how intensely enjoyable
it must be to speed away to the ferny lanes of
Devonshire ! Can those, we wonder, who have
never visited that exquisitely beautiful county,
have the smallest idea of the inexpressible love-
liness of its green and ferny lanes ?

How can we induce those who have never
visited the ' garden of England J to do so without
delay? The attempt is, at least, worth a trial.
We have in a previous chapter explained that
during a summer visit we had roughly noted down
our impressions of two charming green lanes in
South Devon. Our notes were lightly jotted
down and lightly thrown together. But we deter-
mined to expand our Fern papers so that they
might reach the dimensions of a volume. With
this object in view we needed to obtain fresh
materials, and in order that these might be of the
freshest kind, other visits to the delightful lanes
of Devonshire would be necessary. We therefore
decided that our plan of operations should be as

92

' Away out of the smoke, the bustle, the din, and the worry of city life, in the
joyous month of May.'

Page 91.

Fi-lRNY UAMULES IN SOUTH DEVON.

follows. Selecting Totnes — perhaps the most
beautiful spot in South Devon — as our head-
quarters, we determined that we would from that
centre explore some of the ferny lanes, streams,
woods, and moorlands in its vicinity, naming the
places visited, enumerating the Ferns growing
there, and giving descriptions of the scenery.

No choicer spots for the lover of Ferns can be
found anywhere in Great Britain than in the
neighbourhood of Totnes, whose houses are pic-
turesquely dotted about on the banks of the
lovely Dart, the most beautiful river in all Eng-
land. There are to be found Ferns of many
kinds, in every graceful variety of growth, ex-
quisite in form and shading, and in countless
numbers.

Totnes pays homage to the Ferns. Everywhere
in and about the little town these beautiful plants
hold sway. How can we describe the place ?
We shall not even attempt any exact description.
It is on a hill and yet in a valley. Climb the
road that forms its main street, extending from
the Dart Bridge which divides Totnes from Bridge
Town, to ' the top of the town/ and you will say

95

THE FEKN PARADISE.

that Totnes is built on a steep hill. But just
climb through the delightful lanes which mount
to Totnes Down Hill, and look at the lovely little
town ! It appears to nestle in the extreme depth
of a valley. But the explanation is here : Totnes
is built on hillocks, and hills soar above it. And
these hillocks are charming, small as they look
when viewed from the heights above.

Imagine a series of little hills, or rather a
mingling of little hills and little valleys ! Ima-
gine a cluster of houses built upon this
combination of hill and valley ! Imagine an
intermingling of paved streets and green lanes,
of houses, delightful villas and fruit-gardens !
Imagine walking out of old-fashioned streets filled
with old-fashioned houses, into paved ways which
seem to go everywhere, 6 up hill and down dale/
between high walls covered with wall Ferns, wall-
flowers, and mosses ! Imagine yourself walking
along all sorts of terraced roads at every con-
ceivable height above the river level — houses
being above you, beneath you, around you !
Imagine bricks and mortar placed at a disadvan-
tage in a contest with sites that are so charmingly

96

FERNY RAMBLES IN SOUTH DEVON.

rural as to make you feel that they could never
have been intended to be built upon ! Imagine,
finally, a queer intermingling of town and country,
with Ferns growing on the houses and on the
garden walls, and meeting you at every corner
wherever you turn ! Such is Totnes ; and from
every part of the little town — at the top, at the
bottom, and on each side — one may get away into
the most delightful country. Here is some de-
scription of a ramble from Totnes along one of the
lovely routes which are spread out like network
on every side.

About half way up the main street of the town,
and within a few feet of the spot where, tradition
says, Brutus landed — the sea then reaching to
this elevated point on the hill-side — a road leads
sharply round to the right. We are nearly mid-
way on the hill, amongst the houses, almost in
the heart of the town. But we may, as it were,
dive out of it into the road aforesaid, which will
suddenly lead us away amongst groves and green
fields, woods and streams, in the direction of the
picturesque town of Ashburton. But three miles
from Totnes, along the Ashburton Road, and

97

THE FERN TAR A DISK.

three miles back again through Darlington Wood,
will be a delight and a study of the rarest kind
for the Fern lover.

Just a short description of the delightful
suburbs at this part of Totnes before we dis-
appear under the canopy of green trees that in a
few moments will shut out the pretty little town.
We cross a brook which skirts a flower-bespangled
meadow, and flows darkly on by the side of a
shady thicket. Then we plunge under a grove
of elms, and emerging from these catch a fine
view of church, castle, and town, sweeping up-
wards to the left along an upland, on which
orchards and fruit-gardens also nestle. Then we
near the railway station, and are greeted by the
* puff ' of a passing train on crossing the railway
bridge. One moment more, and town and rail-
way are hidden from view as we get away into
the green and winding road to Ashburton. A
little further on we mount a hill, and turning round
we may catch a last peep of the town nestling
down a little below us, its houses just seen be-
tween the leafy interstices of the arching trees
which overhang the road we have already passed.

F.KKN1* B AMBLES IN SOUTH DEVON.

Higli up in these same trees the blue sky peeps
at us through an opening, the blue being how-
ever momentarily obscured by the steam which is
puffed up from the station yard. Such little
incidents are somewhat trivial, but the tourist
knows how much life they sometimes add to
a scene. They in fact make up much of the
difference between a picture and the reality. A
town without motion or sign of human existence
would be dull and uninteresting to look upon,
however picturesque it might otherwise be; and
trees and fields and streams without moving
life, however rich in colouring and grand in aspect,
would lose more than half their charms. But we
must not digress.

About a mile from the town our road com-
mences to skirt one side of the Dartington Wood
on the right. The sun is shining brightly, but at
this spot arching trees on each side of us envelop
the path in dark shadows. A little distance fur-
ther on, we reach a point in the road where a
rushing stream comes out of and flows for some
distance by the side of the wood. The scenery
at this spot is beautiful almost beyond descrip-

99

THE FEIiN PAiJADISE.

tion. A rude rustic bridge crosses the stream and
gives access to a narrow, steep and winding path
which leads up into the dusky recesses of the
wood. When we travelled the route we are de-
scribing, it was May. On the right of the rustic
bridge, and almost overshadowing it, a large haw-
thorn bush was white with blossom, and scented
the air all around with its delicious fragrance.
Below us, the stream was rapidly eddying, waving
the weeds and other wild growths that sprung
from its bed. Just in front, a sudden fall in the
level of the stream caused the gurgle and foamy
splash of a tiny waterfall. A sloping bank led
down on the right from the road to the water's
surface, covered — in such splendid luxuriance as
is everywhere to be seen in Devonshire — with tall,
rich, delightful green grass intermingled with
dark green fronds of the Hartstongue, and hand-
some shuttlecock-shaped fronds of noble speci-
mens of the Male Fern. The left banks of the
brook hung far over the water, the bushes, ivy,
and moss-covered branches of trees which crowned
them affording cool, dark, and moist nooks for
the Ferns, whose exquisite fronds, dropping

100

FERNY RAMBLES IN SOUTH DEVON.

gracefully over the stream in splendid clusters,
lapped it with their beautiful tips.

Beyond the bridge the stream flowed for a
short distance under the dark shadows of the
wood — winding, falling, splashing, and foaming as
it hurried along out of sight. The peep in this
direction was delightful. Trees above, — moss-
covered, ivy-covered branches ; some gnarled, and
others fresh and vigorous — trees on each side, all
densely clothed with their fresh and glorious May
dress. The clear brook reflected the shadows of
trees and shrubs, and became dimly seen as it
disappeared under the dark vista of the wood.
This vista, formed of the delightfully intermingled
branches of the trees overhead, presented the
most charming peep. The matted branches, green
limbs and twigs, would fairly have excluded the
light, were it not that at the darkest and densest
part of the canopy slight openings afforded a view
of the sky, and whilst they admitted the softened
sunrays, gave the piospect of a beautiful wood-
crowned hill, rising upwards beyond the delight-
ful canopy, which hung so gracefully over the
clear and glancing waters of the brook.

101

THE FERN PARADISE.

For some little distance the stream runs by the
side of the road we are following, until, when
the latter takes a sudden turn to the right, it
disappears under a stone bridge, re-appearing
for a brief space and then being finally lost as it
flows away across some meadows. Peer over the
side of the bridge and you will find little tufts
of .that beautiful Fern, the Common Maidenhair
Spleenwort; also the tiny Wall Rue, and small
specimens of the Hartstongue. You will rarely
find a Devonshire bridge, unless it be quite a new
structure, without its complement of Ferns — the
rock, or stone-and-mortar-loving species. Whether
it be a river bridge, or a tiny arch that crosses a
brook, its sides are almost certain to possess at
least one kind, often many, of the moisture-loving
plants. It is the moist atmosphere produced by
the flowing water underneath which gives en-
couragement to the Ferns. Sometimes a river
arch is densely covered with many varieties of
these plants. You will often find the Common
Polypody, the Hartstongue, the Wall Rue, the
Scaly Spleenwort, the Common Maidenhair
Spleenwort, and the Black Maidenhair Spleen-

102

FEKXY BAUBLES IN SOUTH DEVON.

wort, growing together on bridge sides. But the
specimens of Hartstongue are invariably diminu-
tive when growing on walls, rocks, or bridge
arches. The Black Maidenhair Spleenwort, un-
questionably one of the most beautiful of the
Fern family, is also usually found to be stunted
when growing on the bare open side of a rock,
wall, or bridge arch. It nevertheless delights in
stones ; but then the stones and rocks must be in
the shade, and covered by overhanging bushes.
A little way from the stone bridge already men-
tioned, on the road between Totnes and Ash-
burton, in the slate-rock side of a hedge-bank, we
caught sight of a tuft of the Black Maidenhair
Spleenwort, growing in a conspicuous position.
We felt persuaded that other specimens would be
near. One portion of the slate rock was hidden by
bushes that closed over it. Pressing these on
one side, we found, as we had expected, an un-
usually fine plant of our Spleenwort, its roots
being firmly imbedded in the layers of slate-rock,
which were kept cool and moist by the shelter of
the bushes. Where this Fern abounds you will
always find the largest and most luxuriant speci-

103

THE FERN PAKADISE.

mens in the darkest and dampest corners. No
Fern shuns the light more than the graceful and
beautiful Asplenium adiantum-nigrum. It is a
great favourite of ours, and cannot, indeed, fail to
be admired by all Fern lovers. It is hardy too,
and will well repay in cultivation a very small
amount of care and attention.

It is astonishing how many delightful green
lanes abut on to the high roads in Devonshire :
lanes so temptingly beautiful that you feel you
cannot pass without exploring them for, at least,
some little distance. We espied such a lane when,
on the road we are describing, we reached the top
of the hill, on the other side of which lies Staverton
Bridge. This lane turns out of the road on the
right, and we explored it for a short distance.
A few yards from the entrance a bend in the
lane hid its further course from view. But the
peep just where it disappeared was charming.
The overhanging trees, the lovely hedge-banks,
and the carpeting of grass and wild flowers-
all lent a peculiar and shadowy grace to the
vista between, forming what may not inappro-
priately be styled a sort of verdant twilight. On

104

tfEKNY liAMULES IN SOUTH DEVON.

the fresh green hedge-banks near us were nume-
rous specimens of the Male Fern, the Harts-
tongue, the Soft Prickly Shield Fern, and small
plants of the Bracken, delightfully intermingled
with ivy, moss, and wild hyacinths.

A little further on the road we found the tops
of the hedges on each side crowned with number-
less tall specimens of the Bracken and presenting
a peculiarly graceful and beautiful appearance.
At a short distance from this place, the road
suddenly descends as it bends sharply round to
the right. At this point a beautiful view of the
valley lying below on the left, with its wooded
bottoms, its orchards, and its meadows, is revealed;
here and there houses picturesquely dotted about,
and, away in the high background, green hills.
Immediately next the road, and on the first
slope of the descent into the valley is a small
orchard, in which the Brakes, when we saw them,
grew so thickly and luxuriantly as to touch the
tips of the fruit trees, and give a most singular
and romantic aspect to the scene.

Now the view again changes in true Devon shire
fashion as we pass onward. Our road rapidly

105

THE 1'EKN P A 1? A DISK.

descends, Darlington Wood rising Ligli on the
right, and a low thicket spreading away to the
left, under the moist shadow of which some of the
commoner kinds of Ferns grow plentifully. Lower
still goes our road, whilst trees on each side rise
higher and higher, overlapping at the tops. In a
few minutes we emerge from their shadows on
to Staverton Bridge, and the lovely scene changes
once more. Here the stream of the beautiful
Dart darkly and quietly fknvs under the curious
old arches of the bridge. In midstream, on the
left, there is an islet clothed with dwarfed shrubs.
Over an upland on the left bank of the river,
trees sweep gracefully down to the water's surface.
The Dart is seen in this direction only for a short
distance before it winds away on its course. From
the point where it is lost to view the eye delight-
edly roams over the hills which bound the horizon.
On the ivy covered sides of Staverton Bridge
may be found many fine specimens of the beauti-
ful Scaly Spleen wort, the larger ones placed,
however, where they are somewhat difficult to
obtain, without some amount of skilful manage-
ment). The pretty little Wall Rue is also to be

1 06

FEKNY KAMBLES IN SOUTH DEVON.

had here, and the bridge parapet and sides are
also ornamented by the fronds of the Common
Polypody.

And now, to return to Totnes through Dart-
ington Wood, we must retrace our steps for about
two hundred yards until we reach the edge of
the wood. Here a gate admits us on to a steep
ascent, at the top of which we enter a bridle-path
which leads away round to the right, under the
dark shadows of the trees. Presently we are
fairly buried in the wood, the trees in which rise
high on each side of our path and arch over us.
From the left cornes the roar of the unseen Dart,
as it rushes by somewhere on the verge of the
wood. Under the copse on the same side are
some splendid Ferns : grand specimens of the
Broad. Buckler Fern and of the purple-stemmed
Lady Fern; Male Ferns in abundance, many of
them standing four feet high ; and numbers of the
Hard Fern, finely developed. The luxuriance of
the Ferns in this part of the wood is no matter
for surprise; for the ground consists of soft,
spongy leaf-mould, a soil in which the Fern
family greatly delight.

107

THE FERN PAKADISE.

Leaving the wood we pass across an open
meadow ; and then for a long distance we skirt a
park wall, where, nnder the shadow of over-
hanging trees, grow the Scaly Spleenwort, the
"Wall Rue, the Co aim on Maidenhair Spleenwort,
the Black Maidenhair Spleenwort, and small
specimens of the Hartstongue. From this wall
the path follows on through the grounds of Dart-
ington Hall, and pursuing it, after getting some
delightful peeps of woodland and river scenery,
we find ourselves again at Totnes.

1 08

CHAPTER IV.

THE FEKNY MOORLANDS.

grandeur of the Devonshire
moorland scenery almost defies
description. The Fern hunter,
searching for his favourites
amongst the ferny haunts of the
4 Fern paradise,' will derive the
keenest enjoyment from a ramble on the
moors. Away from the town on the
mountain side, with the free blue sky
overhead, surrounded by wooded steeps
which descend swiftly to the valleys below ! Or
away in those valleys where the boulder-strewn
beds of the rushing moorland streams send forth
their wild music to the delighted ear : wandering
from hill-side to valley, and from valley to hill-

109

THE FERN PAUADISE.

top; drinking in with that inexpressibly acnte
sense of pleasure which the jaded town dweller
can alone experience in its full perfection, the
enjoyments which are alone to be found where —

* Boon Nature scatters, free and wild,
Each plant or flower, the mountain's child !'

From Totnes to Newton Abbot; then on to
Teigngrace and Bovey, and thence away by Lust-
leigh, to the borders of Dartmoor and Moreton-
hampstead. Following this route, we one day
made for the moors, in order to explore the ferny
borders of Fingle Bridge, of Lustleigh Cleave, and
of Horseman's Steps. It is, indeed, a grand
series of views which that route presents ; and a
great and glorious wealth of Ferns, in varying
hues of exquisite green, will reward a careful
search.

The line from Totnes to Newton runs through
a series of deep cuttings through the hills. Now
the high sides of the cuttings shut out the sky :
now a tunnel shows that the sudden rise in the
hills, which lay in the path of the railway, had
made an open cutting impossible. As we are

1 10

.' Away^fron/the town on the mountain side.'

Page 109.

THE FERNY MOORLANDS.

about to emerge from the darkness of the tunnel,
we may see on a moist part of its arch the deep,
dark, shining-green fronds of some Hartstongues.
Or we may espy specimens of the Black Maiden-
hair Spleenwort, of the Wall Rue, and of the
Common Maidenhair Spleenwort. Now the light
increases ; but fields and hedge-rows are still shut
out by the steep sandstone and slate rock, from
which, however, high up above our heads cluster
and peep out numerous ferny tufts, looking
freshest and greenest where, from the high level
above, some trickling moisture falls over the
steep rock. Then, for a moment, the high land
appears to recede as the train rushes through
some gorge, leaving hill and cutting behind, and
revealing to the eyes of the delighted passenger
the wood-covered and ferny valley, or the Fern-
covered upland slope.

A railway is seldom suggestive of Fern-land.
The hourly rush of traffic, for passengers and
{ goods/ reminds one unpleasantly of the town,
and of its hurry and bustle. The railway indeed
— to the lover of Nature — mars the free wild
aspect of the woods and fields.

THE FERN PARADISE.

But nature conquers everywhere in Devon shire.
Even its iron-lined roads are subdued by the
softening influence of plants and shrubs. The
Ferns, especially, are heedless of the intrusion of
the railway engineers. Dry, hard, bare cuttings
may be made through the hills ; turf, heather,
and wild Brakes may be stripped off along the
valleys; rails maybe laid down, and everything
done to make the scene look as commercial and
uninteresting as possible. But the spontaneous
influences which produce vegetable life will over-
come all this. Rain comes down, and on to the
softened earth grass seeds blow. Thistle and
dandelion will send their germs in light and airy
chariots, and Fern spores in countless numbers
will find their way where the navvy has ruth-
lessly stripped off the verdant carpeting of the
ground to make room for iron roads. Nature,
indeed, everywhere more or less asserts her sway,
and clothes our roads and railways with her
charming dress ; but it is especially the Ferns
with which roads and raihvays have to contend in
the charming county of Devon, to which these
beautiful plants lend so soft and indescribable a

114

THE FERNY MOORLANDS.

grace. You will always have time to enjoy the
lovely peeps of Fern-land which, are to be ob-
tained between Totnes and Newton ; for the steep
inclines necessarily render the eight miles of
railway journey between the two places unusually
long.

Changing trains at Newton, on our way to the
moors, we were not long in getting to our point
of departure at Moretonhampstead. On this
branch line, twelve miles in length, the changing
scenes are supremely beautiful. During the whole
distance the line passes along a valley which is
pre-eminently Devonian. Ib is curious and in-
teresting to watch in the early summer the gradual
substitution of the barren moorland for the cul-
tivated tract. Grand slopes of rich greenwood,
flower-dotted meadows and June corn-crops
standing proudly up, with rich promise for the
autumn — the light, waving green of the corn-
stalks and ears charmingly contrasting with the
red and full-blown poppies scattered in patches
here and there — first meet the eye. But the cul-
tivated land is shorn of no picturesque surround-
ings. Hill, wood, and river, each with its peculiar

TIIE FERN PARADISE.

Devonian cliarm, intermingle in rich and varying
proportions, flinging their characteristic grace
over the whole. As we advance, however, culti-
vation becomes sparse and sparser still. The
heights become too steep for anything but their
own wild growth. There is, however, even nntil
the unbroken moor is reached, a grand inter-
mingling of wooded and barren steeps, of hilly
corn fields, and heather and Fern-covered heights.
Then we pause at the extremity of the branch
line to Moretonhampstead.

Now begins the moorland walk, extending eway
for some three or four miles to Fingie Bridge,
Along the entire distance there is spread out for
the Fern-lover a continual feast. For a short
way the path winds by the side of a meadow;
then crosses, at the end of a small thicket, a
Fern-fringed brook. Anon it ascends a steep
upland, and then for two miles it takes a course
which includes all the wild and varied charac-
teristics of moorland scenery. Now the inter-
chained peaks of Dartmoor carry the eye away
over a wide stretch of country, the vividly-
coloured landscape losing in freshness, but losing

116

THE FERNY MOORLANDS.

nothing in grandeur, as the dimness of distance
causes it to melt away in shadowy outlines. Now
the eye rests on the graceful scenery which lies
immediately contiguous to the path — huge boul-
ders scattered about on each side, clothed with
moss and Ferns ; rugged hedge-banks formed of
slate rock and red sandstone teeming with Fern-
life; slopes of furze and heather intermingled
with wild flowers. Now the path descends the
hill-side and lights on and traverses a glade
strewn with boulders of all sizes and shapes,
forming a natural rockery, and giving congenial
shelter to the roots of Bracken, whose tall fronds
are spread out with a wild grace which 110 word-
painting can adequately represent.

Along the route which we have indicated the
Fern hunter may find, in charming variety, the
Common Polypody, the Soft Prickly Shield Fern,
the Male Fern, the Broad Buckler Fern, the Lady
Fern, the Black Maidenhair Spleen wort, the
Hartstongue, and the Hard Fern.

Few scenes can be more magnificent than the
view which is to be obtained shortly after com-
mencing the descent — a mile in length — which

117

THE FERN PARADISE.

sweeps by a winding path down towards the vale
of Tingle Bridge. We have to descend the
densely-wooded side of a hill, and the path along
nearly the whole way is overhung by trees. If
we peer under the dense wooded cover that ex-
tends on either side of the path, we may well
admire the splendid growth of the Ferns that
revel in the humid shelter of the greenwood.

Following the downward course of the steep
path, a clearance in the trees and a jutting point
of the hill suddenly give the opportunity for a
sight which is sublimely beautiful. We stand at a
height far above the vale of Fingle Bridge. From
our feet, down to the extreme point of the narrow
valley, sweeps a dense mass of trees, gracefully
curving round to the left, until it is almost met
by the lofty wood-covered hill that rears its head
boldly against the sky on the opposite side of the
valley. We have said that the wood- covered hills
almost meet. Their bases interlace; but a clear
space intervenes between their tops, giving a
marvellous combination of varying moorland
scenery in the vista between. Hills — some densely
wooded, others bare and wild — interlace their

118

TJ1K I-'J'IRNY MOQBLASDS.

tops in a symmetrical network, which stretches
away until dimly defined in the far-off distance.
On the right, in varying terraces which rise
towards the sky, is a mixed landscape of meadow
and hedge and tree. Down far beneath, rushing
along nnder a dark overgrowth of trees, roar
the waters of the Teign, just seen away to
the left, where a break in the canopy of
overhanging green reveals the dark and foam-
ing current.

Winding round and round to lighten the rough-
ness and steepness of the descent, the path at
length reaches the extreme point of the valley,
and crossing a swift, dark mill-stream, that runs
for a short distance parallel with the Teign,
emerges on to Tingle Bridge. This spot is,
indeed, a chosen land of Ferns. To the right
and to the left, away from the arches of the
bridge, the Teign brawls over and between the
granite boulders which are strewn in its bed :
now sparkling in pebbly shallows ; now deepening
into sluggish pools ; now roaring in mimic fury
over miniature falls ; now calmly flowing by its
silent banks, which, overhung with the deep

119

THE FERN PARADISE.

green foliage of clustering shrubs, afford shady
nestling places for waving Fern-fronds which lap
the surface of the stream, and lend to it a grace-
ful and beautiful aspect.

At a short distance to the right of the bridge
the stream is lost from sight; but from its
boulder-strewn, roaring course the eye is naturally
lifted to the glorious view which is to be seen
overhead. On both sides, almost from the water's
brink, rise two precipitous hills, — the one on the
right, clothed with a dark green mantle, ex-
tending from the surface of the stream to the
extreme hill-top, by the gradation of shrub and
bush and tree : that on the left sparsely covered
with furze and heather ; but both endowed with
that boldness of aspect, which lends grandeur to
a scene.

Away to the left of the bridge a similar scene
meets the eye ; but here both hill-sides which
bound the stream are densely and darkly clothed
with trees, which, sweeping upwards, finely con-
trast with the delightful blue of the sun-lit sky,
as the hill-tops cut the sheen. The blue sky
with its golden sunshine, the green woods, the

120

THE FKRXY MOOR LANDS.

graceful waving Ferns, and the brawling river,
combine to make an exquisite picture.

After a peep at the bridge scenery, we followed
a path which led down to the left, along by the
river side. Huge granite boulders were scattered
about in mid stream ; and some of these, clustered
in the form of a rocky islet, were approachable
from the river- side by stepping-stones which
offered a dry passage for the tourist. On this
boulder islet we rested for refreshment — the cool
stream flowing on each side of us gurgling and
splashing and flashing in the sun, the calm surface
of its silent pools, where the current was pent by
the rocks, being broken only from time to time
by the splash of the rising trout, as they dashed
at the flies which skimmed the surface of the
water. From this point, on the same side of the
bridge, a path skirted for a short way the brawl-
ing course of the stream. We followed this path
for some distance, and we found that it was a
walk that would well repay the Fern hunter for a
long journey across rugged moorlands. It is
indeed almost impossible to express in words the
keen sense of enjoyment experienced during so

121

THE FERN PARADISE.

delightful a ramble as this river- side path
afforded.

We thread a narrow path along a grassy sward.
Beneath, soft, verdant carpeting thickly strewn
with wild flowers ; above us a delightful canopy
formed of the interlaced branches of trees, through
which the screened sunlight softly falls. On our
right a high embankment, leading up to a higher
path on the hill-side, from out of which hang
tufts of Fern fronds, mingled in charming variety.
Down to our left rolls the river, whose music
joins in chorus with the songs of the birds, sing-
ing, we know not where, but everywhere around
us. As we follow this charming river-side path,
we have from time to time to press through the
dense masses of shrubs which surround us — now
hanging down overhead, now springing from the
left, and now from the right side. The small,
but startling, incidents of the route add a sort of
piquancy to the enjoyment. The sudden flutter
and the wild cry of a blackbird, as it darts out
of the tiny thicket where its nest is hid ; the rustle
in the high embankment on our right, and the
quivering of the Fern-fronds, followed by the

122

THE FERNY MOORLANDS.

sudden flight across the path of a rabbit; the
rolling, hurry-scurrying contortions of a snake,
which our unexpected appearance has sur-
prised, basking in the tiny gleam of sunshine
which has fallen on to the greensward through
an opening in the trees overhead; the heavy
splash in the river on our left, as a water-rat,
which had not dreamed of our unwelcome intru-
sion, takes the shortest and readiest path to his
hole, diving one moment in one place into the
stream, to reappear the next somewhere else,
under the belief that meanwhile we may think
that his power of holding his breath is unlimited ;
or the lighter splash of a trout, as, unaware of
our presence, it rises in the dark, deep pool near
us at the tempting palmer-fly that has just dropped
from the bushes. All these sights and sounds
contribute to the delight of this river-side ramble.
Or we may rest for a moment, and, peering cau-
tiously around us, so as not to disturb the free
inhabitants of this woodland, admire and enjoy
their unrestrained movements. The snake will
wriggle on to the sunlit path again ; the rabbit
will come quietly out from his hiding-place; the

E 2 123

THE FEJJN PARADISE.

rat will return from his hole ; the trout will skim
about on the surface of the river close to where
we are sitting, if our shadow does not fall across
the sunlit pool. As we sit and rest, wre may
listen, with a deep sens? of enjoyment, to the soft
buzzings of the insects which surround us ; and
watch the bushes, the grass, the ground, and the
water. Everywhere there is life — fresh, delight-
ful, enjoyable life.

Such a scene as we have attempted to describe
is not imaginary. It is real and tangible. Who
that has visited Devonshire has not experienced
the varied and varying sensations of a ramble so
essentially Devonian ?

After pursuing this river- side path for some
little distance, we reached a waterfall, where a
division in the river makes provision for the stream
which drives the mill at Fingle Bridge. Close by
the fall there is a light and open plantation of
small trees, and underneath these a tiny forest of
Ferns. Bracken in glorious luxuriance clothe
the ground, and splendid forms of the Male Fern
also abound in this wood. The dark stream, too,
which flows by the wood is fringed with some

124

THE FERNY MOORLANDS.

beautiful specimens of the Lady Fern, of all sizes.
Here also is the lemon-scented Mountain Buckler
Pern. We saw a number of these lovely plants.
It was no wonder that the Ferns in tins delightful
grove were so luxuriant, for the soil consisted of
nothing but spongy, sandy, leaf-mould. The soft
and exquisitely beautiful scenery in, around, and
above this charming wood it is almost impossible
to describe. The ground covered with waving
Fern-fronds ; on one side the foaming waterfall,
on the other the river with its Fern- fringed banks ;
above, the interlaced tops of the trees in the
grove, through which might be seen the great
wood-covered hills which shut in the prospect all
round, and, towering up against the blue sky,
seemed almost to fold over us like a delightful
canopy with a loveliness that cannot be described.
From Fingle Bridge back to Moretonhamp-
stead, along the intricate moorland path. From
Moretonhampstead to Horseman's Steps, across
four miles of delightful country, and through
ferny valleys, up ferny hills, and through ferny
lanes. This was our route on the day of our visit
to the ferny borders of Dartmoor. We reach,

125

THE FERN PARADISE.

near Horseman's Steps, a solitary cottage, perched
in a charming nook. Close by the cottage walls
the North Bovey River, pent into a narrow bed,
roars over the big boulders that choke up its
course. Here we have the charming combination
of waterfall, cascade, and silent pool. The huge
masses of granite which lie along the course of
this stream, are in many places delightfully car-
peted with moss, whose deep and light-green
colouring looks charmingly fresh where the limpid
water flows over or near it. A short distance
from this spot are the far-famed Horseman's
Steps. The narrow course of the North Bovey
River is here completely blocked up by enormous
masses of granite, and we can only see the stream
by peering down between interstices in the rocks ;
but we can hear it thundering along in its almost
subterranean channel. A small tract of marsh
land intervenes between Horseman's Steps and
Lustleigh Cleave; and there we found, along by
the course of the North Bovey River, numbers of
the Mountain Buckler Fern, the Hard Fern, the
Lady Fern, the Male Fern, the Broad Buckler
Fern, and others. In this district is to be found

126

THE FliKNY MOORLANDS.

the somewhat rare Tunbridge Filmy Fern, Wilson's
Filmy Fern, and the delicate and beautiful Marsh
Buckler Fern. From this point a precipitous
ascent leads on to Lustleigh Cleave. We can
give no better description of this Cleave than by
comparing it to a huge Fern rockery, By some
singular agency, the hill-sides have been strewn
with blocks of granite, of all shapes and sizes. It
is really difficult to understand how this curious
phenomenon could have been produced, though
it would seem that volcanic action of some kind
must have had something to do with the original
formation of Lustleigh Cleave. But the present
effect is singularly beautiful. Here, as elsewhere,
the Ferns have taken possession of the ground,
and have given an indescribably graceful aspect
to the strewn boulders. Reaching the top of the
Cleave, after a toilsome ascent, we made for the
Logan, or Nutcracker Eock. Near this rock,
peering into the stony crevices, we made a pleas-
ing discovery. We found in one of the interstices,
between the gigantic masses of granite which
cover the hill-top, several specimens of the Lan-
ceolate Spleenwort. They were growing in one

127

THE FE1LN PABADiSK.

little cluster, and in the dark shadow of their
retreat we could not at first be sure that they
were not the beautiful but commoner Black
Maidenhair Spleenwort. We knew, however, that
from the position in which they were growing, it
was quite possible they might be Asplenium Ian-
ceolatum. With the aid of a long stick, we suc-
ceeded in digging them out ; and a close exami-
nation at once gave proof that the plants we had
discovered were what we had hoped they would
prove to be. The fronds of the Black Maidenhair
Spleenwort are always broadest at their base,
narrowing gradually towards their apex, the spores
being arranged in lines at the backs of the fronds.
The fronds of Lanceolatum taper at both ends
towards their apices and towards their bases, and
its spores, when ripe, are gathered in little round
clusters on the backs of its fronds. The distin-
guishing characteristics of this species were
present in our ' find.' We had previously hunted
in numerous places in South Devon for Asplenium
lanceotatum, and had carefully explored several
of its known habitats, but without being able to
find a single plant. Those who have experienced

128

THE FERNY MOORLANDS.

it, kuovv the pleasure derived by the Fern hunter
when, after a long search, he at length lights on
the variety for which he has been seeking.

Down the side of the Cleave towards Lustleigh ;
through a boulder lane — huge masses of granite
piled up on each side, and almost hidden by Ferns
and moss — and away by hill-side, meadow and
stream towards Totnes ! — so ended our delightful
ramble for that day across the ferny moorlands.

129

CHAPTER V.

DOWN A GREEN LANE !

OWN a green lane ! But wha.t a
lane ! Words can but meagrely
convey an impression of its
charms. Nor could the most
skilful artist, with the rarest com-
bination of colours which art can
produce, give a faithful representation of
the glorious tints and of the unrivalled
gracefulness of the Ferns which revel
there in all their native luxuriance. But
how to reach this lane ?

We make a steep ascent along an upland road
a mile in length ; an ascent so long and so steep,
that could we make it without pausing, we should
stop at the summit to recover our breath. But

THE1 TERN PARADfSE.

if we love scenery, and if we love Ferns, we
cannot climb this hill without stopping to admire
both, for both are of the rarest kind.

Arrived at the top of the hill, we have in front
a park gate, leading to somebody's mansion, and
two turnings for choice, one directly to the right,
the other directly to the left. Both are charming,
but the one to the right is irresistible. The left
turning is a road ; the right one is a lane. No
Fern hunter who might reach this turning-point
when out for a saunter, would hesitate for one
moment.

The ' lane ' at its entrance is wider than the
* road.' On the left a grassy hedge-bank is over-
topped by arching trees, which grow out of it,
and bending forward, fling their green tops across
the whole width of the pathway. On the right is
also a grassy hedge-bank topped by bushes-
stunted but picturesque growths of the elder, the
hawthorn, and the elm. A grassy carpeting
under our feet, except where sacrilegious carts
have made ' ruts,' and occasional foot-passengers
have worn a narrow path. Moss-covered tree
trunks, and inviting forms of Fern life, which

132

»

e o
'5 5
a o

DOWN A GREEN LANE !

crowd the hedge-banks ; but Ferns which are
tender in growth, and small in size. From the
hedge-banks spring splendid flowers of fox-glove,
mounted on their tall stems, and looking beautiful
indeed in the height of their June glory.

The lane, wide at its entrance, narrows rapidly,
and at the distance of a stone' s-thrown bends
round to the left and is beyond that point hid
from view. But so green and delightful are the
trees, the flowers, the grass, and the Ferns, that
our choice of the turning is instantly made. We
feel certain that the lane will get more beautiful
as we follow what we are sure will be its winding
course, and we make for the bend where that
course is hid from view. Let us look at the
hedge-banks as we pass between them. Here are
no less than six species of Ferns — the Male Fern,
the Hartstongue, -the Soft Prickly Shield Fern,
and the Broad Buckler Fern growing out of the
hedge-bank; whilst fronds of the Common Poly-
pody peep out from ivy-covered pollard trunks,
and are sheltered by the overhanging shrubs
which line the hedge-top. Small specimens of
Bracken are also here. It is perhaps because of

135

TIIE 1'ERN PARADISE.

the sunny aspect of the hedge-side that the Fern
specimens are small. Following the bend of the
lane, we find that the grass-covered pathway
narrows, whilst the hedges close in. Trees now,
ivy as well as moss-covered, are on each side of
us, and interlace their green tops. Then, between
moss-covered, Fern-fringed hedge-banks, we pass
an open fir copse on the right. Anon the lane,
still winding round to the left, narrows more
rapidly still ; narrows indeed so much, that the
bushes which crown its hedges almost meet over-
head, and thus arresting the moisture and in-
creasing the shade, cause the Ferns on each side
to become developed into grander forms, until
two or three splendid specimens of the Broad
Buckler Fern and the Male Fern in the hedge-
bank on the right compel us to pause and admire
their exquisitely graceful aspect. A few steps
farther on, still bending round to the left, we
again stop to admire the splendid growth of a
Brake, which, growing out of the humid hedge-
bank, has reached a height of eight feet. Now the
lane for a short distance observes a straighter and
narrower course, between hedge-banks contain-

136

DOWN A GREEN LANE !

ing luxuriant specimens of noble growing Ferns.
Then it widens, and admits us on to a glade,
whence away to the right from the eminence on
which we stand, we get a magnificent view, far
away over green lanes, woods and meadows of
the wild moorlands which end the landscape.

Now the lane suddenly narrows again; but just
as it is about to commence its descent over the
hill, we suddenly come upon a turning to the
right. A lane within a lane ! Lovely as is the
course which we have been hitherto following,
we pause at this spot fairly spellbound by the
superlative loveliness of the little bib of scenery
which this new turning suddenly reveals. 'Tis
just a peep from where we stand; for this lane
within a lane seems to be a lane without egress, a
charming cul-de-sac. At a few yards from the
entrance, a hedge-bank bars the way, to all
appearance. The tiny c bit,' as far as we can see,
is like a summer bower. The hedge-banks stand
on each side some seven feet apart. But flowering
plants and grass carpet the ground, leaving a
pathway two feet wide. Away in front the bank
which closes the view, gracefully clothed with

137

THE FEI1N PARADISE.

waving Fern-fronds, rises up against the tall and
matted shrubs from the hedges which run to
meet it, and mingling its own wealth of green
twigs with the branches of a small oak on the
opposite side of the way, forms a delightful
canopy of quivering leaves, through which the
blue of -the sky, and the fleecy white of the
passing clouds, can just be seen.

Who could resist the temptation to wander
into such a bower as this ? — for bower it seems.
When, however, we reach the hedge-bank that
appears to bar the way, our astonishment is great
to find that it is not a cul-de-sac which we have
entered ; for a turning to the left, so sharp as to
be unseen until we approach it closely, reveals
the most beautiful green and ferny lane which
it is possible for the imagination to conceive.
Oh ! the glorious wealth of waving green, wild
flowers and Fern-fronds, which the eye surveys,
as it delightedly wanders along the charming
vista which bursts upon us ! On our right and
on our left, just where the lane bends round, two
stately Brakes stand, as if placed there to guard
this inner paradise of the Ferns. And on the

138

DOWN A GREEN LANE !

right, hard by a Brake which spreads its arching
fronds towards us, a noble specimen of the
purple-stemmed Lady Fern springs out of the
hedge-bank, its splendid clusters of fronds, each
a yard in length, flinging over the scene the
indescribable gracefulness which is a fit emblem
of Fern-land.

And now for a plunge into this glorious lane
of lanes. As far as we can see, it appears to melt
away in shadowy green, as it sinks down over the
declivity of the hill. For some distance along
the route, in both hedge-banks, the Lady Ferns
appear to hold sway. Here is a grand specimen,
fully four feet long ! and there are many others
equally grand, and equally beautiful, in every
shade of purple stem. Intermingled with them
and forming a charming variety of fronds, are
some fine specimens of the Male Fern, of the
Broad Buckler Fern, with its curling leaflets, and
of Bracken, the latter towering up to a height of
eight feet. If we peer between the branches
which filter the light on the hedge- top, we shall
find small specimens of the Male Fern, with
shuttlecock shapes, dark green fronds of the Harts-

139

THE FERN PAKAD1SE.

tongue, and, dropping out of gnarled and moss-
covered tree trunks, the beautiful Common Poly-
pody !

Now, for a moment, as we pass onwards, the
arching bushes on each side close cover us, whilst
grand Ferns, of noble growth, spread their tops
across from each side, and touch us as we brush
between them. Passing with reluctance some
glorious specimens of the Male Fern, the Lady
Fern, and the Broad Buckler Fern, far grander
in size and aspect in this their native home than
they ever grew on artificial rock-work, we come
upon a ,spot on our right where a host of ex-
quisite fronds of the Soft Prickly Shield Fern
clothe the hedge-bank, and compel.; us to stop
and admire them. The colouring of this species
is extremely rich, when the plants are vigorous
and finely grown. From the base of the frond to
the apex along the principal midrib, and from the
bases to the apices of the pinnules, run rust-
coloured scales, which strikingly contrast with
the fine green of the whole frond. Then the
minute and regular subdivisions of the angular-
shaped pinnules render this Fern one of the most

140

DOWN A GREEN LANE !

beautiful of its beautiful family. The aspect of
a hedge-bank clothed with PolysticJium' angulare
must be seen to be adequately appreciated.

Pursuing our pathway a few yards farther, the
scene, for one moment, changes. Through a
gateway on the right, forming a gap in the sand-
stone hedge-bank which has helped to shut in the
lane, the sun suddenly lights up the scene ; and
at the same time a charming prospect is offered
by the valley below. Some of the grandest of
Devonshire scenery lies before us. From where
we stand, a declivity sweeps gracefully down
to Totnes, which, nestling around its tall church
tower, appears to repose in the very depth of the
valley. On each side we get a peep of the
winding Dart; on the left as it flows from the
moor, on the right as it makes for the sea. But
town and river are mantled by trees, now thinly
scattered, now densely grouped and spreading
away over upland and hill-top, as far as the eye
can reach, in dusky outlines. Town, river, and
wood below, sloping uplands with meadow and
corn-field, steep wood-crowned hills beyond, and
the rugged peaks and barren tors of Dartmoor in

143

THE FEBN TAEADISE.

the far-off distance — such is the landscape which
lies stretched out before and below us.

But we turn again towards our glorious lane,
which now begins a swift descent, the pathway
rapidly narrowing. Hedge- branches again close
over our head. Majestic fronds of the Brake,
the Male Fern, and the Broad Buckler Fern,
brush against us. Our path is now almost ob-
structed by the wild and glorious vegetation which
clothes the ground. Fern -fronds thicken around ;
the thickly-matted growth of the hedge-banks
becomes more dense ; the way appears almost
barred by a grand specimen of Polysticlmm angu-
lar e ; and we stop at the same moment arrested
by the fragrant odour from a huge bush of honey-
suckle in full flower. Here, for a few yards, the
shrubs overhead spread their branches far away
from the hedge- top, and the lower portion of the
bank on the left reaches back to such a distance
as to envelop the ground underneath almost in
darkness. In this kindly and congenial shelter
the Ferns are growing to grand dimensions,
fostered by , the darkness and humidity which
prevail under the leafy canopy.

144

DOWN A GEE EN LANE !

Onward, still onward, and downward winds our
lane, until, all at once, it becomes fairly buried
under the glorious mass of vegetation which
grows with such wild and beautiful luxuriance
around and above. We have now almost to crawl
underneath the bushes and the graceful Fern-
fronds which literally choke up the way. For
twenty or thirty yards our path is thus buried, and
we are compelled to stoop until our chin almost
touches our knees. Grand as we have hitherto
found the development of Fern-life, here, in this
spot, we find the grandest development of all.
Oh ! the keen enjoyment we derive from the
delicious coolness of this almost subterranean
avenue ! Midway in the glorious wealth of green
there is a slight break in the bushes. Perched in
the gap is a full-blown foxglove; and away
beyond and above, arching Brakes and Male Ferns
spread out and over us their graceful fronds.

Once more the scene changes. Still swiftly
descending, we pass a wood on our left, and then
the lane again opens out. The pathway narrows,
but the hedge-banks slope outwards, affording
space for the most graceful development of the

147

THE FERN PARADISE.

Ferns which grow shuttlecock fashion on the
sloping banks. Here, in the full daylight, we
can see and admire the varying shades of glorious
green which the Fern-fronds wear — the dark
green of full-grown Brakes contrasting, for in-
stance, with the lighter shade of the incipient
fronds, or with their own golden-green tips.

Again, for a moment, on its way down the
hill-side, the lane opens up a prospect of the
richly- clothed valley which we are now nearing
once more. On our right, below the hedge-bank
— over the open top of which we can peer — a
meadow runs steeply down to a point where it is
met on each side by two gracefully sloping up-
lands, beautifully though sparingly wooded. From
the point of junction of meadow and upland the
ground, by a slow descent, sweeps away to the
town, which, partly hidden by the trees which
embower it, and partly screened by the rise of the
uplands, lies picturesquely along the river banks.
Beyond the town the wood and meadow-covered
slopes rise upwards towards the sky. The peep
is exquisite, and affords for a moment a delightful
contrast to the peculiar charms of the ferny lane.

148

DOWN A GREEN LANE !

In another moment, however, the open country
disappears from view, as we pursue our way
downwards. The path now descends so swiftly,
that we need some care to secure a foot-hold.
As it descends, it narrows to the width of a
foot, and from its rugged stony character it is
.easy to see that it has been cut out of the rocky
hillside, in the days of packhorses, and before
the age of carts. Higher and higher grow the
moss-covered banks, sloping outwards and up-
wards. Here, on our left, at the .top of the high
cutting — for it is no longer a hedge — is a spread-
ing oak tree, thickly matted with gnarled roots
of ivy. From out of the forks of this beautiful
tree, just over our head, drop the pretty fronds of
Poly podium vuJgare. Below, the side of the
cutting is densely clothed with Ferns of glorious
growth. Splendid specimens of the Male Fern
which, from their erect and noble-looking, yet
withal graceful habit, fairly earn their designa
tion. Growing to the left of the Male Ferns,
whose fronds are more than a yard long, are two
magnificent specimens of the Broad Buckler Ferr.
— the curling pinnules of the fronds giving to

149

THE FERN PARADISE.

them a most lovely aspect. Beneath, revelling in
the cool shelter afforded by the Ferns which have
been named, is a Lady Fern, throwing up its
tender fronds with the drooping habit which is
the charming characteristic of this species.

Still, for a long distance, the lane follows its
winding course between high moss, iv7y and Fern-
covered banks, with trees far above, arching
over and excluding the sunlight. Our path now
becomes more like the rocky bed of some river,
which a long drought has temporarily dried
up. On our right we presently pass, in the
twilight created by the shrubs around and above
us, a hedge-bank which is clothed with the most
beautiful moss, growing amongst which are thou-
sands of baby Ferns, just springing into existence,
and beginning to assume the ferny forms. The
deep shade flung by hedge-bank and over-arching
trees, and the perpetual moisture which is engen-
dered between them, render this spot a congenial
hiding-place for the Fern-spores which germinate
on the damp soil of the mossy hedge-bank.

And now the swift descent of the hill-side path
is gently broken. From the deep, soft shade of

150

DOWN A GKEEN LANE !

the lane we emerge into the sunlight. The hill-
side begins to rnelt into the valley. Sunlit
meadows, gently- sloping wood-covered uplands,
orchards, and fruit-gardens are combined in ex-
quisite variety in the scene before us. Now,
between leafy interstices in tree and shrub, we
sight some white-walled cottages. Then, as we
pursue our winding path, we are again lost under
a leafy canopy, as hedge-banks once more close
in upon us. Anon an intermingling of hedges,
meadows, and houses ; and then our charming
green lane abuts upon a winding road which leads
away to the town.

I s I

A FEEN PARADISE AT HOME.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION,

E have designated beautiful Devonshire
the ' Fern Paradise/ — a designation
which it well deserves. Who, that has
experienced the pleasure, can deny that to wander
after Ferns through its beautiful woods — to search
the rocks, the ravines, and the streamlets which
abound in its magnificent moorlands — to cross,
minute]y searching from moss-covered boulder
to moss-covered boulder, the beds of its brawling
rivers, listening to the soft thunder of their nume-
rous waterfalls, or to the loud roar of rushing
torrents where the mountain stream sweeps down
into the valley — who can deny, we repeat, that

THE FERN PARADISE.

the pleasure of a wild ramble like this is exqui-
sitely sweet ?

Bat although, as we have said, the enjoyment
to be gathered from a ramble either through the
green lanes of Devonshire, or the Ferny lanes of
other counties, is beyond the reach of thousands,
yet there are few places where even the poorest
cannot obtain Ferns. Flowers that are cultivated
— and our garden-flowers require cultivation for
their proper development — are often beyond the
reach of the poor : and no one brings the roots
of wild flowers into our towns. If they were
brought hither they would pine away, perhaps
more quickly than our garden flowers ; and they
at least would not thrive any better in the absence
of that one vitalizing element — sun. But Ferns
that grow in wild woods, and open plains, are in
the free right of all who choose to gather them.

~ o

They are gathered sometimes and brought into
our towns and cities by itinerant vendors. But
we seldom see them in the dwellings of the poor.
They nevertheless might be there. If there were
a demand the poor purveyors of the poor would
.soon bring a supply from the free, wild country

154

' Ferns will grow where flowering plants would perish. Place them
where you will— on the floor, on the table of a dimly-lighted room, on
the sunless window-sill, in a shady corner — anywhere.' — PAGE 157.

F 2

INTRODUCTION TO A tfERN PARADISE AT HOME.

where they grow ; and there would be that
demand if the poor knew more about these ex-
quisite plants.

Ferns will grow where flowering plants would
perish. They require moisture and shade — not
stagnant, but percolating moisture. Place them
where you will — on the floor, on the table of a
dimly-lighted room, on the sunless window-sill, in
a shady corner — anywhere, and they will grow
and develope, unrolling their charming fronds, and
exhibiting their sweet feathery forms with all
their natural grace in the presence of squalor arid
misery. The poor seamstress painfully working
in yon ill-lighted garret, where the glorious sun
never comes, might perhaps have shed bitter tears
over the withered flower that all her care had
failed to rear ! But a Fern would grow where
her flower had died, would smile upon her with
its mute, flowerless smile, would live in the dark
light of her attic window, and, unfolding its
fronds day by day, would assume its most graceful
and most beautiful form even in the presence of a
poor seamstress.

But it is not only the poor who have to live in

57

THE FERN PARADISE.

gardenless dwellings, and look out from sunless
windows. The mansions of the rich, and thou-
sands of houses of the well-to-do, and of the
middle classes, are necessarily, in great London
and in other cities and towns, placed where the
sun cannot exert his charming, life-giving in-
fluence. Many a window of a grand house looks
out upon nothing but brick walls, which tower up
high and blot out the sun's rays. The occupants
of these houses are often bound, by the exigencies
of business, to make their homes for weary
months in these shadowy dwelling-places.

Why, then, do they not bring the beautiful
Ferns into requisition ? What exquisite grace
would be shed over every room in a house, if
every available space were occupied by the
feathery fronds of these beautiful plants ! — on
tables and sideboards ; on mantelpieces ; in fire-
grates surmounting trailing sprays of ivy ; on
window-sills ; hanging from window-rods ; on the
landing of the stairs; in the hall; in the bed-
rooms— everywhere in fact. Why not ? Writhout
any curtailment of necessary space, without any
inconvenience, these beautiful plants might be so

INTRODUCTION TO A FERN PARADISE AT HOME,

arranged as that every house, ' be it never so
humble,' might become a { Fern Paradise.' The
hardier kinds, if kept within doors, will survive
the winter, and look fresh and green throughout ;
and the more delicate and fragile of the species
may be preserved in all their natural freshness

'In firegrates surmounting trailing sprays of ivy.'— PAGE 155.

under a covering of glass. Plant them in a case,
and cover them with a shade, and then you will
have, even in midwinter, a miniature fernery. Do
you want a sweet smell as from a country lane ?
Take off the covering of glass, and your tiny im-
prisoned favourites will exhale the sweot familiar
odours; and where the moisture has rested on

THE 1'EKN PARADISE.

their feathery tips, there you will see as if it had
been dewdrops.

Have you a dark, damp corner in your garden,
where you cannot get your flowers to grow ? If
you have — and few there are who have not, for
everything has its shady side — throw some loose
stones together in rockery form, and plant Ferns
there. They will revel in the obscurity of the
retreat which you have chosen for them, and
smile gracefully and thankfully upon you from
out of their dark corner.

Everywhere if you will, in your gardens and in
your houses, you may have a ' Fern Paradise' — ' a
thing of beauty and a joy for ever.' Even the
poorest of the poor, compelled by the unceasing
pressure of ( work ! work ! work ! ' to cry, in the
touching words —

* Oh but to breathe the breath

Of the cowslip and primrose sweet,
With the sky above my head,

And the grass beneath my feet — '

may have, if they will, a ' Fern Paradise J in the
saddest and most cheerless of sad homes.

1 60

CHAPTER II.

MEANS TO THE END.

0 give the practical suggestions which
Fern -lovers will need to assist them in
carrying out the proposals contained
in this volume is the object of the present
chapter. And, first, it must be premised that,
if elaborate and artistic accessories to Fern-
culture at home should be beyond the means of
the Fern-cultivator, beautiful effects may be pro-
duced by the tasteful arrangement of Ferns in the
simplest and least expensive manner.

The name of Fern-accessories is legion. If it
be desired to grow the graceful plants in enclosed
miniature gardens, resort must be had to Fern-
8 cases ' — a designation which is applied in a

161

THE FERN PAEADISB.

general way to crystal structures of almost every
imaginable size and shape. In the accompanying
illustration a case of the simplest description is
shown, having for the compost and rock-work a
receptacle which may be either of porcelain or of
rustic wood-work. Such a case can be made with

a moveable frame, so that the glass top can be
lifted when watering or air is required. Or the
case may be dome- shaped, with four, six, or eight
sides ; or four, six, or eight sided, with a pointed
glass roof — the framework supporting the glass
being of zinc, galvanized iron, or wood-work. It
may be a stand or pot made of terra cotta, rustic

162

MEANS TO THE END.

wood-work, or clay, and covered either by a glass
shade or by a bell glass. A Fern-case, if suffi-
ciently high and large, may stand on the floor.
If smaller in shape, on a side-table, mantelpiece,
or window-ledge ; or it may be accommodated
with a stand of bronzed or galvanized iron, or of
stout wood-work, moulded or carved into any
shape.

The material of which the Fern-stand — what-
ever its shape or design — is made is a matter of
some importance. Porcelain, glass, terra cotta,
majolica, stone, wood, and clay have all been
brought into requisition by the host of Fern-
case manufacturers. Of these glass for stands is
perhaps the only one which may be said to be
incongruous when brought into association with
Ferns. But it is only important to raise an
objection to those glass stands — and they are the
majority, we believe, of those manufactured —
which have no holes perforated in them to allow
of proper drainage to the plants. It is a fatal
mistake to omit provision for drainage ; for, with
the greatest care in watering, there can be no
certainty that the Ferns, in unperforated stands,

THE FEKN PARADISE.

will be free from the injurious influence of
soddened soil. Stone, wood, and clay are natural
materials for Fern-cases ; and terra cotta, as an
imitation of stone, may be placed in the same
category. In cases constructed of these materials
provision is generally made for drainage, and
whenever it is omitted the omission should always
be supplied by the drilling of holes in the bottoms
of the cases.

The almost universal use of clay pots for
flowers attests the popularity of these cheap
utensils ; and perhaps there is no material so free
from objection for the purpose of the home culti-
vation of Ferns, if we except stone, which is
equally good. Every one is, of course, familiar
with the common red flower-pots. But the clay,
figured Fern-pots are not so commonly seen.
They are made, however, after all kinds of
designs, and are extremely useful. The most
appropriate of the numerous designs for clay
Fern-pans are those figured on their sides with
Ferns. These pans are of all kinds, shapes, and
sizes, adapted to Ferns both r large and small.
There are clay hanging pans, which can be sus-

164

MEANS TO THE END.

pended by wire either in mid-window or else-
where. There are clay brackets for supporting
Fern-pots, and rustic-looking pots of the same
material for fastening to walls — holes being per-
forated for nails to hold them with. Clay is also
brought into requisition for imitating rustic wood-
baskets on the plan of crossed bars. These clay
contrivances can be suspended, wherever it may
be desired, by wires fastened at their tops.

In the disposition of Ferns upon a lawn, tree-
stumps are not unfrequently utilized for growing
Ferns. There are clay imitations of these tree-
stumps, made of various shapes and sizes. The
especial recommendation of clay in the manu-
facture of Fern utensils is its porousness, by
reason of which the Ferns grown in them are
kept well drained, and attract the fine rootlets of
the plants, which cling to the damp and porous
sides of the pans, as they do to soft, porous stone,
feeding on the moisture. Ferns, however, it
should be remembered, grown in such pans must
be kept constantly moist, and the direct action of
the sun's rays should be kept from the sides of
the pots, otherwise the fine, fibrous rootlets which

THE FERN PARADISE.

have fastened themselves to the interior surface
of the pans will shrivel and injure the plants.

Wire baskets of various shapes and designs will
be found useful aids in the work of beautifying
the rooms of a house with Ferns. The accom-
panying woodcut will show the disposition of
Ferns in such baskets.

In damp woods the Harfcstongiie and the
Lady Fern are, not unfrequently, found growing
together, one clump of earth including the root-
stocks and matted fibrous rootlets of the two
species of Fern. If such a clump of Fern-roots
be brought undisturbed into the home paradise of

1 66

MEANS TO THE END.

the Fern-lover, a fit receptacle would be furnished
for it in a wire basket, depending from the ceiling
just inside a study window, or from a shady sky-
light. Our illustration (page 166) shows such a
clump of Hartstongue and Lady Fern. Place a
lining of moss in the hollow of the basket, and
into this mossy nest gently press the ferny root&
with their undisturbed mass of earth, so that when
the mass is inserted the whole may be firm. In
this way it will always be easy to water the Ferns
by dipping the basket, with its mossy green occu-
pants, into water, letting it drain away its surplus
moisture before it is again suspended in its
appointed place. The free access of air afforded
to Ferns thus disposed is conducive to their
vigour and prosperity.

It will, however, often happen that the existence
of corners and recesses in and about a house will
enable the Fern-lover to dispense in such places
with the use of cases, pans, and baskets ; and for
the reason that more natuial and pleasant results
can be produced by the building up of little nooks
and rockeries. To this end, a supply of small
pieces of stone or rock, or of what is called ' virgin

167.

THE FERN PARADISE.

cork/ will be required, as well as cement, with
which to build up and consolidate the work to be
constructed. Whenever it is possible, natural
stone should always be procured — of a quality
which is soft and porous — for all rockwork,
whether on a small or large scale. The Fern-
lover will frequently find it a pleasant and de-
lightful occupation to construct small ferneries
for himself by the aid of stone blocks and cement
for superstructure upon a substructure of ferny
soil. Where it is impossible to get stone for
rockeries on a small scale, a substance in imitation
of stone will be furnished by coke when wetted
and sprinkled with Portland cement to give it the
natural stone colour. There will be no difficulty,
however, in obtaining competent assistance, if it
be desired, to avoid the trouble of building
ferneries, and such assistance will probably be
most needed when it is desired to construct large
ferneries. The name * Pulham ite rockery' has
been given to a species of rockwork for
ferneries constructed by Mr. James Pulham of
Broxbourne. The object sought to be attained by

Mr. Pulham is one that all lovers of Ferns should

•

168

MEANS TO THE END.

seek to pursue, namely, to imitate, as nearly as
possible, the appearance and disposition of natural
rocks ; and, judging from the specimens we have
seen of this kind of rockery, the imitation of
Nature is very successfully effected. When-
ever possible, Nature herself is brought into
requisition by resort being had to the rocks which
are actually procurable in any locality where it
may be desired to construct a fernery. If no
stone can be quarried or otherwise obtained in
the neighbourhood of a proposed fernery, rockery
is artificially formed by an aggregation — with the
aid of cement — of burrs, rough bricks or concrete,
the colour of the cement which is used, not only
to bind but to cover the conglomerate mass, being
adapted to the actual colour of the natural rock
in the locality. By this system of building up
masses of conglomerate material it is, it will be
seen, comparatively easy to construct what will
have the appearance of huge masses of rock in
situations where it would either be impossible, or
a matter of the greatest possible difficulty, to in-
troduce actual masses of natural rock. In the
disposition of this Pulhamite rock art is brought

169

THE FERN PARADISE.

into requisition in order to make the structure as
irregular, rugged, and picturesque as a natural
fernery.

Ferns are often found in nature in association
with old trees. In a wood or forest, the old tree
forks, and the cavities of pollard trunks, as well
as the hollows of many a prostrate and decaying
tree stump, afford congenial habitats for certain
species of Ferns — the familiar Common Polypody,
for instance. Hence in cultivation, it is a
frequent practice to imitate such woody habitats
of Ferns by the employment of virgin cork — a
substance which bears a sufficiently close resem-
blance to the bark of trees to warrant its use in
the manner indicated. By the tasteful arrange-
ment of this material very pretty effects may be
produced in the artificial fernery, or in any place
which it may be desired to brighten and to
beautify by the presence of graceful ferny
growths.

0%

•70

CHAPTER III.

FERNS ON THE LAWN.

OW easy it would be to change the dreary
outlook from the windows of many a
house by a small amount of attention
to the ornamental capabilities of Ferns ! The term
4 lawn ' we use in the widest possible sense, and
as indicating not merely the level grassy expanse
— of large or smnll extent — in front, in the rear,
at the sides of, or all around a house, but spaces
of any kind immediately contiguous to a dwelling.
In this sense we include even the tiny strips of gravel
fronting tens of thousands of city and suburban
residences, no less than the similar strips of gravel
pavement, or bare earth which do service, as court-
yards or curtilages, in the rear of such residences.

THE FEBN PARADISE.

It is not of gardens, in the proper sense of the
word, that we are speaking, but of spaces too small
to warrant the appellation of gardens.

If a calculation could be made of the number, in
London alone, of dismal outlooks afforded by win-
dows which have spaces immediately in front of
them, unrelieved by the presence even of grass or
weeds, it would be found that the total number of
such outlooks would be a vast one. And the
number of people is still greater who are com-
pelled to spend a large part of their lives in rooms
lighted by windows of this description. Would
not the pleasure which could be secured by the
transformation of their immediate surroundings
amply repay them for the small outlay which
would be necessary to bring brightness, grace,
and beauty within the line of their daily vision ?

The necessary survey of the spaces to be trans-
formed could be rapidly accomplished, and it
would be found that all sorts of shady corners and
crovices previously given up to dust and emptiness
would offer themselves as habitats for cultivated
Ferns. The corners selected, there would only
need to be a loosening of the ground upon which

172

FE1JNS ON THE LAWN.

to build a rockery so that provision might be made
for drainage. If the ground should be paved or
flagged the surface stones must be taken away,
the earth or gravel underneath loosened by spade
or pickaxe, and some Fern soil thrown down.
Then upon this substratum must be placed some
rough-hewn blocks of stone, filling in on the top
with soil firmly pressed down. Then more blocks,
but of smaller size, Fern soil once more on these,
and so on by gradation until a rockery has been
built up. Where necessary, cement may be used
to give firmness and stability to the structure, but
most frequently the weight of the stones used, if
they are skilfully adjusted in their places and
suitably selected, will suffice to keep them firmly in
place.

Should a house face south, and possess a lawn
at its rear with space enough for a summer-house,
the accompanying illustration (page 174) will show
how on two sides of the summer-house shady
corners will be made, inviting the Fern-lover to fill
them with rockery for Ferns. How often we find
that such corners are left entirely unoccupied !
Yet do we not see how much the surroundings of

173

THE FERN PARADISE.

a summer-house can be beautified by association
with the flowerless plants ?

The possessor of a dreary courtyard, stretch-
ing, for instance, but a few feet in length from the
liouse wall to an opposite wall, limiting the space

of the occupier, and towering high and keeping
out the sun, would probably be astonished to find
how much he might accomplish that would be
pleasant and delightful should he earnestly set to
work to transform such a yard into a Fern para-

174

FERNS ON TUB LAWN.

clise. "With three kinds of material — stones of
different shapes, cement, and Fern soil — he would
speedily work wonders, even if there were four
walls of brick and a stone pavement to deal with.
The four corners of the courtyard would provide
room for four rockeries, and the previously bare
walls could be covered by the use of trowel and
cement, aided by small pieces of stones, with many
a Fern pocket. If it were desired to exhibit a
mass of green on the walls and to afford addi-
tional shelter for the Ferns in pockets, a Virginian
creeper could be planted and trailed over the
upper sides of the walls. Or by a system of short
rods projecting at certain places from the walls of
a courtyard, Fern-pots and baskets could be sus-
pended in such a way as to cover the entire super-
ficies of a bare wall.

Indeed, ii will require but a little knowledge, a
comparatively small amount of time, and a small
outlay of money to turn the dreariest of court-
yards, window outlooks, area ' wells,' and all
unoccupied spaces around a dwelling into smiling
paradises of Ferns.

175

CHAPTER IV.

FERN WINDOWS.

the delightful practice of e window
*~\P*\n gardening' uas come into vogue town
^i^S dwellings have assumed — where this
practice is pursued — a far more pleasant aspect
than they formerly did when there was no
thought of utilizing windows for floral purposes.
But though we have said that there has been,
during recent years, a great increase in the
practice of ' window gardening,' it is still very
far indeed from having reached its full develop-
ment. Year by year it is true the number of
window gardeners, both amongst rich and poor,
is sensibly. augmented. In the fashionable parts
of our towns well-to-do house occupiers some-

177

TEE FERN PARADISE.

times produce very charming effects by the pro-
fuse and artistic display of beautiful-leaved plants
and flowers. Sometimes the display is confined
to a simple and tasteful arrangement of flowers,
either on the window-sill or upon a flower-stand,
just inside the window. At other times the
windows are occupied by small conservatories,
which fill the space projecting equally into and
from the room, or are made to project only beyond
and outside of the window. Occasionally we
may see either the entire front of a city or
suburban residence, or the lower or upper half of
its front made charming by the presence of the
spreading leaf clusters of some climbing plant —
virginian creeper, clematis, wistaria, or what not.
Such floral transformations of town dwellings
are very pleasant. They give pleasure, in fact,
not merely to the occupiers of the houses thus
adorned, but to all passers-by, for perhaps the
next best thing to a country ramble for those in
cities pent during the greater part of the year is
a walk through suburban districts made green and
bright and beautiful by the abundant presence of
trees, shrubs, and flowers.

178

FERN WINDOWS.

Let us now see how the shady windows of a
dwelling-house may be made beautiful by the
presence of Ferns. We will begin at the base-
ment. Here we shall find, as in thousands of
London and other city houses, a window or win-
dows looking out upon what is popularly called
the 'area.' Such windows are invariably im-
mersed in shadow, and given up as they are to
the domestics of the household, one may perhaps
not unfrequently see, as one passes, the window-
sills adorned by modest pots containing geraniums,
calceolarias, fuchsias, or the golden green leaf
and golden flowers of the sweet but modest musk
plant. Rarely do we see Ferns in such windows.
But why should they not be there ? Let them by
all means be mixed with such flowers as will
thrive in these windows. But when flowers need
to be excluded, by reason of the uncongeniality of
the situations, let the Ferns at least remain. By
the tasteful arrangement around and about such
windows of virgin cork, with provision of
* pockets ' for Ferns, or by the skilful use of
cement and pieces of stone, or brick disguised
as stone by a sprinkling of the dry powder of

179

THE FERN PARADISE.

cement — due provision being made for drainage — •
an ' area ' window might be made really charm-
ing. Or suppose the basement windows of a
house are half below the garden or area level.
In such cases there will be a space commonly
called a ' well J outside such windows, having
usually three bricked sides, in addition to the
window side. By putting a glass top or frame to
such a space an admirable little Fern house will
be created, in which Ferns will thrive, and find
excellent protection against winter frosts. With
trowel and cement it will be easy, in a ' well '
like this, to establish a minature ' Fern paradise.'
Yet those who will take the trouble to note the
extent to which window -gardening is carried, even
in those quarters where it is practised to the
greatest extent, will probably be surprised to find
that the greater number of the houses in such
quarters have no window gardens at all. And
even where they are found, and indicate by their
presence that the taste of a household lies flower-
ward, it will be almost exclusively the front, or
at any rate, the sunny windows, which are occu-
pied by miniature gardens. So far as flowering

1 80

FERN WINDOWS.

plants are concerned it is natural that this should
be so ; for, as flowering plants mostly will not
thrive in the sunless windows of a house, these
are abandoned to the dismal aspects of their
own bleak outlooks.

Ferns, even from the flower windows, are too
frequently excluded. Why cannot this omission be
remedied ? There are windows in many houses
not sufficiently sunny for the sunniest of flowering
plants, yet shady enough to allow the presence of
some of the hardier of our Ferns. Such windows
are admirably adapted for growing Ferns and
some kinds of flowers together, and, where this is
possible, Ferns will add grace to their flowering
companions.

Provision for drainage will be found in the
sinks with which area ' wells ' are always pro-
vided. The sink apertures can be hidden by the
disposition around them of cemented blocks of
stone. Then upon the floor of the ' well ' other
blocks may be placed, and in the interstices
Ferns may be securely planted in good soil.
Around the brick sides, too, pieces of stone may
be cemented in order to provide ' pockets ' in

181

THE FERN PARADISE.

which some of the wall-growing Ferns can be
placed. Even without the suggested covering of
glass an area < well ' would afford, if in a

'Ferns will add grace to their flowering companions/— PAGE i8r.

thoroughly shady position, an excellent habitat
for many of our hardy Ferns. When, however, a
glass covering is made for an area ' well ' care
must be taken to leave an aperture or apertures

182

FERN WINDOWS.

in it for ventilation. Amongst some of the middle
classes the rooms in the basements of houses —
when the basements are below the garden level —
are often used as sitting-rooms. In such cases
the utilization of the half-lighted windows and
window-sills for growing Ferns will be very de-
sirable, for the reason that so large a portion of
the time of the family is spent in these downstair
rooms.

Coming to the ground level of a house we shall
often find shady windows looking down upon the
area courtyard or garden. By adjusting to the
outside of such windows a small glass- covered
framework, projecting over the area or garden, a
little Fern-house could be established, that would
be pleasant not only from inside but from outside of
the house. Perhaps higher up in a house a win-
dow might be found looking out, say from the
landing of the stairs upon leads, whereon perhaps
the water-cistern is placed. The leads are sure to
be provided with a sink for disposing of rain-
water, or the waste water from the cistern. Upon
the leads a Fern rockery may be easily constructed,
and, without difficulty, the waste water of the

183

THE FERN PARADISE.

cistern might be made to contribute to the neces-
sities of the Ferns, and, when desired, a small
fountain can, at little expense, be constructed in
such a way as to fling its spray over the rockwork
extemporized upon the leads.

Outside the shady bedroom windows of a house
it is not unusual to find a balcony too small to
admit of sranding-room, but provided with a
leaden bottom offering a shady site for a little
cluster of rocks and Ferns. In such bedroom
window ' wells,' as they may not inappropriately
be called, there is sure to be a provision for
draining off the rain-water ; and the same pro-
vision will answer for draining a Fern rockery.

There are the skylight windows of a house
to be considered. How shall we place Ferns
there ? We can do so by bringing suspending
cords and wire baskets into requisition, and
we can thus make even our dismal skylights
beautiful with the soft, green beauty of our
flowerless favourites.

Who, indeed, will longer be content to let his
shady windows remain bleak and bare when he
can make them charming bv association with

184

' Ferns will snugly nestle under shadow of the climbers that
lovingly trail upon the window-panes.' — PAGE 186.

G

FERN WINDOWS.

graceful plant forms ? For Ferris will snugly
nestle under shadow of the climbers that lovingly
trail upon the window-panes; and from area to
attic there need be no outlook, whether sunny or
shady, that may not, to some extent, be made
bright and graceful by their living presence.

186

CHAPTER Y.

FERNS AND AQUAEIA.

Nature, both animate and inanimate,
there is oftentimes close association
even where relationship does not exist ;
and in no instance is such association more inti-
mate than it is in the case of animals and plants.
Birds make their homes amidst the sheltering
branches of trees and shrubs ; quadrupeds find
protection and sustenance in the products of
the vegetable world ; for insects, food and lodging-
are provided, even in the tiniest sprays of grass ;
whilst to all animate things Nature's most abun-
dant plant- wealth is freely offered. There is,
too, in the natural world a curious association
between Ferns and fish ; for Ferns always lovingly

G-2 [8;

THE FERN PA11AD1SE.

follow and coyly rest along the course of many
a stream which provides the natural element of
the finny tribes. Waving Ferns by the margins
of river and brook, of lake and pond, deepen the
shelter of overarchin & trees and shrubs, furnishing

O O

the coolest of cool retreats for the inhabitants of
the sparkling waters ; and in many a moorland
stream the angler, following his gentle craft, will

n ' o o

often find his noblest prey in the deeper cur-
rents which flow by the roots of clustering Brake
or graceful Lady Fern.

But if we transport our flowerlcss plants to our
home and town surroundings, why cannot we still
bring them into association with the little fish
worlds, which it is so much the custom to intro-
duce into our dwellings ? In his pleasant and
genial ' Notes on Fisli and Fishing ' — a delightful
volume, from the pen of one of the most pleasant
.and genial of enthusiastic lovers of Nature — Mr.
J. J. Manley suggests that the followers of his
gentle craft might learn much that would be both
interesting and instructive concerning the habits
of fish by watching their movements in aquaria.
An excellent suggestion ! And how easy it would

188

FEliNS AND AQUAEIA.

be for the angler who is also a Fern-lover, or for
the Fern -lover who is also a lover of Nature, to
bring Ferns and fish together in his dwelling-

house, and study them when they are thus
associated !

If, for instance, we take a bell-glass and

189

THE FERN PAEADISE.

reverse it, fitting its knobs into a stand, we have
at once, if we fill it with water and introduce
some rocks and fish and aquatic plants, a minia-
ture aquarium, and one adapted for transformation
by the simplest of simple contrivances (page 189)
into a miniature fernery. We have merely, on
the upper side of the rockery required for the
comfort and convenience of the little fish we
propose to put into our bell-glass aquarium, to
have a hollow bed above water-level, into which
we can put some Fern soil. We can then plant a
Fern or Ferns in the little extemporized island,
and the situation will at once be found to be most
congenial both to the Ferns and to the fish.

The methods, indeed, are numerous by which
Ferns may be brought into association with fish
in aquaria. The object must always be to copy
Nature as nearly as possible. The reversed bell-
glass represents in miniature, as we have seen, a
lake or pond, with an islet in its centre ; and in
this miniature structure the rocks may be builfc
up 011 its lower side so as to afford the holes and
corners in which, in a natural piece of water, fish
love to hide, whilst the upper side should be made

190

FERNS AND AQUARIA.

congenial to the Ferns, and so arranged that the
soil in the apertures left at the top should not
become soddened by the water beneath, and that
only the ultimate filaments of the fibrous rootlets
of the flowerless plants should actually touch the
water.

Where space allows, the end of a room lighted
by a window, or by a skylight (page 192), might be
transformed into a fernery and aquarium in one.

The tank for holding the fish could in such a
case be placed some three or four feet above the
ground, water being supplied by a jet connected
with the main. At the back and at the sides of
the aquarium virgin cork receptacles may be
provided for Ferns; or, where the aquarium
stands close to the end wall of the room, rockery
may be constructed by the aid of cement. It
may be built up, in fact, from the floor of the
tank in such a way that its' base may provide
holes into which the fish may retire, and the
moisture perpetually rising from the surface of
the water will be found most congenial to the
growth of the Ferns in the rockery above.

Amongst the prettiest contrivances lor asso-

191

THE EEK1N PARADISE.

ciating ferneries and aquaria are some of the
portable stands, combining a fernery and fresh-
water aquarium. These can be obtained of all

sizes, at all prices, and of various designs, to suit
the purses and the tastes of all persons. It may,
however, often be desired by the amateur natu-

192

FERNS AND AQUAftlA.

ralist to construct a fernery and aquarium for
himself ; and whenever such a work is attempted,
it should always be remembered that the most
pleasing and successful results will always be
attained by the closest possible imitation of
Nature. How often have we not all admired the
rocky embankment of a trout-stream, for instance,
fringed by the waving fronds of Ferns ; and if we
were to explore the submerged holes and crevices
in such a rocky embankment, we should find that
they furnished habitats as congenial for the fish
in the streams as in their way are provided for
the Ferns above by the holes and corners in the
superposed rocky masses. Half an hour's careful
study of a ferny streamlet would indeed afford
more than one valuable lesson in the art of
bringing Ferns into association with aquaria in
our homes.

193

CHAPTER VI.

MINIATURE FERN CAVERNS.

OR the lover of Nature there are few
scenes which possess more attraction
than the sequestered woodland dells
where nought is heard but the musical tinkle of
dropping water. In such dells the passing current
of a babbling brook often holds soft and sweet
communion with the tiny stones which may lie in
its course, and with, the plant forms which are
gently swaying with the motion of the gurgling,
splashing water ; whilst even bird and insect life
is hushed as if in sympathy with the quietness
which almost seems to be made audible by the
small sounds of the streamlet.

Within such woodland nooks as these there are

195

THE FERN PARADISE.

often found dark and cool recesses, into the depth
of which it is difficult to poer until the eyes have
become accustomed to the gloom which pervades
them. Sometimes these recesses are of large and
sometimes of small extent ; but they are nearly
always found associated with falling or dripping
water, with mossy stones, and with ferny forms.
It may be a rocky cavern in the hill-side, the tiny
chasm in a river bank, or perhaps but the dark
fissure in the moist embankment of a shady lane,
through which, from the higher level above, water
perpetually trickles. The enthusiastic Fern-
hunter will instantly recall to his mind many
such tiny caverns as these hedge-bank fissures
furnish, and the intense enjoyment which he has
experienced when, during the sultry heat of
summer, he has wandered into some cool, green
lane, passed under the shadow of overarching
shrubs, and paused to rest on some big stone
conveniently found fronting a dripping hollow
in the hedge-bank.

Peering into such a tiny hedge- bank cavern he
may wonder, whilst he watches with pleasure the
diamond sparkle of the dripping water within,

196

MINIATURE FERN CAVERNS.

how this little world of moss and lichen was
formed. Let him, however, but think a moment,,
and the big stone on which . he has pensively
seated himself will tell the sfcory of this fairy
cavern.

Time was when the hedge-bank was dry and
bare of vegetation, and no water trickled over its-
sides from the level above it. But Nature is never
still. Her moods are always changing; and from
time to time she makes the silent hills musical
with the voice of some water spring which she
causes to flow. The spring bubbles up, runs across
the gentle crest of the uplands, and in its course
falls over the face of our hedge-bank, permeating
and moistening its substance. Vegetation follows-
the course of the stream, embowering the hedge-
bank in leanness. Its volume increases, its flow
becomes perennial, and soon the action of the
streamlet loosens one rocky mass in the stony em-
bankment. The earth beneath by the same action
is partially washed away, and the boulder drops
from its place into the roadway. The water which
had streamed over its surface now flows into the
newly-made fissure, and makes it moist and cool.

197

THE FERN PARADISE.

Lichen and moss line it with a mantle of green, and
Fern-spores unbidden, but welcome, enter the
grotto, germinate, and develope into green life.
The clay washed down from the cavern sides,
settling in its bottom, dams the egress of the water,
and a tiny pool is formed. And thus, gentle
reader, we have, by one of the simplest processes
of Nature, a little paradise of rnoss and Ferns !

Have we digressed too much? We hope not,
because we want to show how, by a simple and
inexpensive arrangement, such little Fern caverns
as we have described can be imitated in our
houses. Let us suppose that it is desired to
make such an area ' well ' as we have described
in a previous chapter, into a Fern cavern. First of
all communication should be established with the
water-cistern, which will generally be found suffi-
ciently high above the area level to afford the
requisite pressure of water. The communicating
pipe should be brought to the centre of the ' well '
floor, and provided with a tap and spreader.
Around its base a cluster of small rocks can be
cemented. Upon the sides of the ' well ' and at
the toD more rockwork may be constructed, so as

198

MINIATURE FERN CAVERNS.

to form a cave closed on every side, save the one
facing the room. At the top a small aperture
must be left, in order to admit some light, and to
give ventilation. The floor of the cavern may be
cemented so as to retain the water which flows
from the extemporized fountain — provision being
made by means of a pipe some two or three
inches long in the floor of the cavern communi-
cating with the sink, to allow all water which
rises beyond a certain fixed level to flow away.
In the walls of such a cavern, in its interior, at
its top, and at its entrance, as well as amongst
the rockery at the base of the fountain, Ferns
may be planted. We show no Ferns in our illus-
tration (page 200), but they should be selected
from the list given in our chapters on ' Ferns and
Fern Culture,' according to the capabilities of
each, as there described, for darker or lighter,
dryer or moister situations.

Such caverns as we have suggested may be
made in many other parts of a house than its area
' well ' or ' wells.' There is no 'reason, indeed,
why they should not be constructed in dining or
drawing-rooms, or indeed in any rooms of a

199

THE FERN PARADISE.

house ; and even in mid -room in any part of a
dwelling the construction of a zinc trough, on

which to raise the superstructure of a Fern cavern,
would obviate any inconvenience which might
arise from the moisture from such a cavern,

200

THE HYGIENIC INFLUENCE
OF PLANTS IN BOOMS.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

ENTLE reader, do not be alarmed!
If the title of this part of the volume
suggests a dry discussion on the
chemical properties of plants, or an
elaborate disquisition concerning
matters philosophic, believe that the Author has
no intention of presuming so far on your indul-
gence ! The purely scientific aspect of the question
to be here discussed shall be very briefly set forth:
for, whilst the Author feels that what follows
must materially strengthen his 'plea' for Fern

201

THE FEKN PARADISE.

culture, it will be found that he deals with the
subject to be considered from an aesthetic rather
than from a scientific point of view.

It may be contended that the subject of this
part of the volume is eminently practical; and
that, being so, it contrasts with the preceding
chapters. The Author avers, however, that the
aim of this book is thoroughly practical. This
expression, nevertheless, he does not use in its
narrow and vulgar sense, or as excluding all that
which — appealing to the imagination — is purifying
and elevating — graceful and beautiful.

202

CHAPTER II.

THE INFLUENCE OF PLANTS IN ROOMS,

HE wise Giver of all good things has
established the close and loving
inter-dependence of animals and
plants. Nothing in creation, as we
all of us who have studied the marvellous works of
the Almighty know, is ever wasted. Everything has
its proper use — everything fulfils its allotted pur-
pose. Plants and animals, for instance, are per-
petually ministering to each other's necessities.
The ' vital air' of animals is oxygen, which gives
colour to the blood, infuses health into the
system, and to the coimtenance of man gives
the ruddy glow, which is health's indicator.
But after we have inspired oxygen, we respire
what is to us a poison formed by the combi-

203

THE FEUN PARADISE.

nation of the oxygen of the air with the carbon
of the blood, and is called carbonic acid gas.
Were a process of accumulation of this deleterious
gas to continue, the equilibrium which makes
animal life possible would be destroyed, and that
life would cease to exist. But the great plant
kingdom requires for a chief part of its suste-
nance the very gas which the animal world
rejects. The primary 'food of plants is carbon,
and the necessary supply is obtained almost
wholly from the carbonic acid gas of the atmos-
phere. When it is remembered that half of the
weight of our forest trees, for instance, consists
of carbon, and that the whole of their supply is
derived from the carbonic acid gas of the air, it
will be recognized to what a large extent the
atmosphere is concerned in the manufacture of
wood. It is not, however, trees alone, but shrubs,
flowering plants, Ferns, mosses, grasses — indeed
all vegetation, which relies upon the atmosphere,
with its freight of carbonic acid gas, for its supply
of carbon — the material which, furnishing the
bulk of their substance to plants, gives to them
their strength and stability.

204

THE INFLUENCE OF PLANTS IN ROOMS.

How is its supply of carbon obtained by
vegetation ? The unobservant man probably
looks upon a plant leaf as ' only a leaf ' — a thin
and opaque, or semi-transparent, thing with two
sides or surfaces of uniform green — a flat un-
interesting object. He does not reflect that this
tiny green leaf, as he sees it softly waving in the
summer breeze, and now and then assuming a
golden tinge as it falls under the influence of sun-
light, is not only a living but a breathing thing.
Yet such it is : and it has a marvellous and
beautiful system of pores, through which to per-
form its breathing functions. The epidermis, or
outer-skin, of a plant leaf is studded by vast
numbers of these breathing pores, or stomates, as
they are technically styled. Usually these sto-
mates consist of little oval orifices, each placed
between a couple of sausage-shaped, superficial
cells. They are mostly placed on the undersides
of leaves, and an idea may be formed of the
extent to which a plant is perforated by these
minute apertures, when it is stated that there are
not less than a hundred thousand stomates on
each leaf of some plants.

205

THE FEKN PARADISE.

Through these tiny but multitudinous apertures
plants breathe, inspiring the atmosphere which sur-
rounds them, appropriating what they require for
their sustenance and growth, and respiring what
they do not need. The carbonic acid gas of the
atmosphere is only absorbed by plants that they
may be enabled to extract from it its carbon con-
stituent. Having done this, the oxygen of the
compound is set free, and returned again to the
air which gave it, for the use and healthful enjoy-
ment of animal life.

How simple, then, and beautiful is this process,
by which animals and plants minister so essen-
tially to each other's necessities ! And it neces-
sarily follows that the proximity of plants is
conducive to a purification of the atmosphere by
the absorption of carbonic acid gas. If this ap-
plies, as it does, in the open air, where forests,
woods and other abundant vegetation play a large
part in the healthfulness of a locality, it applies
also to the confined atmosphere of a room. No
doubt, the most active operation of the process
by which plants absorb carbonic acid gas, retain
the carbon of the compound, and give back to the

206

THE INFLUENCE OF PLANTS IN ROOMS.

surrounding atmosphere unalloyed oxygen, takes
place under the influence of sunlight ; and it will
be granted that its hygienic effect will be most
potent in the open air or in the sunnier part of a
house. Still, the process is not entirely arrested
by the absence of sunlight, and its operation — so
far as its beneficial influence is concerned — must
be taken in conjunction with the absorption of
carbonic acid gas and the resulting respi-
ration of oxygen by the hardier Ferns and the
sun-loving plants in the sunnier windows of a
house.

It must, however, be conceded that if the sug-
gestions in this volume be adopted to the extent
the Author would desire, and Ferns are intro-
duced into every possible corner of a house, so
great an importation of plant life — involving pre-
sumably a large addition to the previous stock of
plants of those householders who, for the first
time, carry out the proposals of the Author —
cannot but exert a very important hygienic in-
fluence upon the normal condition of the atmos-
phere of a dwelling-house. Will it not, indeed, be
admitted, then, that there is an especial reason —

207

THE FERN PARADISE.

looking at the question from the point of view
of the considerations discussed in this chapter —
in favour of the introduction of Ferns into our
bed-rooms ?

But before dismissing from consideration the
subject of what may be called the physical effects
produced by the presence of plants in rooms, we
would call attention to the fact that there is
another influence exerted by plants beyond that
of the absorption of bad air and the respiration of
oxygen, namely, the pleasant and cooling and —
for the same reason — the healthful effects of the
evaporation of moisture from plants. Plants not
only breathe; they perspire — their exhalations
consisting of pure and pleasant vapours, Who
has not experienced the charming sensations pro-
duced by plunging, during the heats of summer,
into one of those woody nooks, —

" \V here the copsewood is the greenest,"

or into some deep 6 green lane,' or by going down
to the rocky base of a waterfall? A dry, hot
atmosphere would be unendurable for any length
of time; and even when, during hot summers, we

208

THE INFLUENCE OP PLANTS IN BOOMS.

are temporarily subjected to an abnormal amount
of heat, we all know the eagerness with which we
seek for cool, soft, and congenial vapours. Gentle
moisture softens, cools, and refreshes the skin.
Is it not, for instance, delicious to go, in the hot
summer, into a cool greenhouse ? Yet, knowing
and granting all this, we still suffer ourselves to
be suffocated and — in a degree — scorched by the
hot, dry air of our dwelling-rooms. In our dis-
tress, on hot summer days, we open our windows
to admit — what ? The hotter external air. We
fan ourselves, and by the process — unreflecting as
we are — we simply set the warm atmosphere of
our rooms into motion against the warmer sur-
faces of our bodies, the result being a very slight
and temporary relief, followed immediately by an
increase, to the extent of the warmth extracted
from ourselves, of the heat of the air immediately
surrounding us. Sometimes we resort to the
effectual, but clumsy and inconvenient expedient
of hanging wet sheets against our windows on the
inside.

But why all this trouble ? Why do we not
follow the simple teaching of Nature, and sur-

209

FEKN PARADISE.

round ourselves with a host of plants ? "Why do
we not extemporize miniature fountains and Fern
caverns in our rooms ? Instead of wet woollen
blankets or ugly sheets, instead of putting up our
Venetian shutters and half excluding the daylight
to keep the heat away, why do we not hang in
our windows screens of moss, Ferns, and trailing
ivy ? Why do we not set so green and delightful
a barrier as this against the scorching air of
summer ? Why not, in short, embower ourselves,
as we sit in our dwelling-rooms, in a glorious
mass of Fern fronds ? Let any sceptic try the
experiment, if only to the extent of sitting on a
hot summer day inside an open window, but
behind a screen formed by a dozen hanging
baskets of Ferns, embedded in dripping moss !
By a very simple arrangement — a superstructure
of rockery on a floor of zinc — a ground fernery can
be placed under the dripping baskets, and the
trickle of water from the moss thus made to
promote the prosperity of the Ferns underneath.
The delightful and refreshingly cool atmosphere
which would be created by such an arrangement
as we have just suggested and described, would

210

THE INFLUENCE OF PLANTS IN BOOMS.

make life enjoyable even in the hot and sultry
summer air of our town dwelling-rooms.

There is, however, yet another influence — of
great hygienic importance — exerted by the presence
of plants in our dwelling-rooms. The mind, as we
all know, exercises an enormous influence either
for good or evil upon the bodily health, and when
pleasurable sensations are conveyed through the
eye to the mind, the physical health is affected
and benefited. What, then, could be more grate-
ful, refreshing, and delightful for tired eyes and
wearied brains than to be surrounded by graceful
plant-forms, so beautifully suggestive as these

children of Nature £XQ of the scenes in associa-
tion with which they are found when in their wild
habitats ? — moorland wilds, dripping rocks, shady
woods, and those deep green lanes which are
sheltered by embowering trees, lined with cluster-
ing moss, and redolent of the perfumed breath of
sweet spring flowers.

211

FERNS AND FERN CULTURE.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

HESE pages are not intended for
scientific readers. Oar object is to
create a universal love for the
beautiful Ferns ; and as yet only
such general descriptions of Ferns
and ferny scenery have been given as might
suffice for the purpose which we have set before
us. But to give to the volume a utility beyond
what it would possess by a too strict adherence
to mere generalization, some descriptions will now
be given of each species of such of the graceful
Fern family as have chosen to make these islands
their home.

213

THE FERN PAEADISE.

Too much, however, will not, witli this object,
be attempted. The book is not intended to com-
pete with strictly botanical treatises. It makes
no pretension to be a hand-book. It is in sub-
stance what its sub-title indicates, 6 a plea for the
culture of Ferns,' and as such it goes forth to the
world. But it aims at being widely useful. Many
Ferns which grow in lovely Devonshire are never
seen in other counties ; but . the county is poor
indeed which cannot furnish a few specimens of
what are called the common varieties of our
native Ferns.

In the following pages of description the
simplest definitions will be given ; and in addi-
tion to these, under the name of each Fern
information will be furnished as to the particular
situations in which it grows, the method of culti-
vation, the soil, and other matters which will be
of interest for the Fern-lover.

214

CHAPTER II.

WHAT IS A FERN r

T will have been seen that we have
made no attempt in the preceding
chapters to offer any help in the
study of Ferns. Botany is a beauti-
ful science, and those who have
time and opportunity will find almost endless
instruction and amusement in studying it; but,
as we have shown, there are very many who do
not possess the necessary time and opportunity.

All that we have attempted to do, is to give
such general descriptions of those of our native
Ferns which are to be seen in the west of England,
as might conduce to the more extensive artificial
cultivation of these beautiful plants. Of all the
varieties which we have named, we have not, as

215

THE FERN PAEADISE.

yet, given such minute descriptions as might
enable the young botanist accurately to distinguish
one from another.

We have simply endeavoured to create a general
love for the plants themselves, with the object of
showing that, exquisitely graceful and beautiful
as they are when seen growing wild in the situ-
ations which are natural to them, they will carry
that native grace and beauty with them wherever
they may be transplanted ; with the object, too,
of urging that Ferns should be grown in every
garden, and be found in every house, however
humble ifc may bo ; for tho lovely plants will
be charming no less in the cottage of the
peasant than in the mansion of the squire — no
less in the garret window than in the handsome
conservatory.

We do not write so much for those who live in
the country as for those who live in our cities
and in our large towns, and who can only get
their peeps at Ferns during occasional visits to
the country. There are few homes which do not
possess plants or flowers of some kind. Even
when a house has no garden attached to it — and

216

WHAT IS A FERN

how many thousands of houses there are in big-
London alone without gardens ! — an attempt is
made to compensate for its absence. Sometimes,
as we have seen, the windows are filled with
plants — generally with flowers. Even the poor
hovel, even the most wretched garret is usually
provided with at least one solitary flower-pot,
whose occupant, pining perhaps for the sun which
can never reach it, drags on its sickly existence
until at length it dies under the influence of its-
unnatural circumstances, struggling to the last
moment with its abnormal condition of life. But
it is rarely, as we have already said, that Ferns
are to be seen under the same conditions ; and it
is because we would show how it is that these
lovely plants are admirably adapted to live under
conditions which flowering plants cannot survive,
that we write these chapters. Here we feel that
it will be necessary, before we proceed any further,
to define the position Ferns occupy amongst that
great portion of the living world which we call
the vegetable kingdom.

The simple question then at once arises: What
is a Fern, and how is it to be distinguished from

H 217

THE PERN PAFvADISE.

other plants ? The general answer to this ques-
tion is that a Fern is a flowerless plant. Although
flowerless, it is not seedless ; but its peculiarity is
that it acquires its seeds without the intervention
of flowers. Let us borrow just one hard word
from botany — and we only do so because in one
word it explains the most exact distinction between
Ferns and other seed-bearing plants. Ferns, then,
belong among plants to the class Cryptogamia,
which literally means fi concealed fructification.'
They are therefore, although flowerless, seed-
bearing plants, and when they bear seed it is
hidden away. Those who have never seen a Fern
would naturally, at first, experience some little
difficulty in knowing — although bearing in mind
the general definition which we have given — how
to distinguish it from another plant when both
are — the one without seeds, and the other without
flowers or seeds. No definition which would be
sufficiently popular for our purpose can be offered
to remove this difficulty. Certain peculiarities of
Ferns can be mentioned, and when these are re-
membered, one or two visits to a country lane
where Ferns abound will be quite sufficient to

218

WHAT IS A FERN ?

accustom you at once to the difference between
them and ordinary plants.

Some parts of a Fern bear different names to
those affixed by botanists to the corresponding —
we use the word corresponding in its popular and
not in its strictly technical sense — parts of another
plant. First of all there is the crown, which may
be styled for the sake of simplicity the mainstay
of the plant, or the base of its stem. From the
under surface of this stem or root-stock proceed
the long fibrous roots which, diving into the soil,
or penetrating between the crevices in rocks and
walls, seek and convey to the plant the abundant
moisture without which it could not live. From
the crown of the root-stock grow the stalks which
support what would be popularly called the leaves.
Each of these stalks is called a stipes, and in
most Ferns both the surface of the crown and
the stipes are covered with scales — a rust-
coloured kind of excrescence.

On each stipes, at a distance from the crown of
the plant which varies in different species of
Ferns, commences the leaf, technically and beau-
tifully styled the frond. At this point begins

ii 2 219

THE FERN PAEADISE.

the exquisite grace and beauty of the plant. Its
midrib, from the point where leaving the stipes
the frond commences, is called the rac/iis. Should
the rachis have ribs branching either horizontally
or obliquely away from it, these ribs are still
called the rachis, its parts being distinguished the
one from the other by the terms, the primary or
the secondary rachis. Upon the rachis it is that
grow the leaves, leaflets, pinnules, and lobes, either
in a simple or a compound form ; and it is their
infinite variety of form — simple, scalloped, saw-
edged — and the exceedingly graceful manner in
which they are arranged on the rachis, that con-
stitute the peculiar elegance of a Fern. The
manner in which the fronds of Ferns spring from
the crown of the plants is another peculiarity in
their growth, and one that distinguishes them
from ordinary plants. On starting from the
crown, the fronds have the appearance of so many
little balls, which as they develope unroll upwards.
It is then seen that the whole frond has been
rolled together in circinate manner — that is to
say, from the top of the frond spirally downwards.
Jn the simple fronds there is one simple unrolling

220

WHAT IS A FEBN ?

from the base outwards to the extreme uppermost
point of the frond. In the compound species of
the plant there is first of all the primary unroll-
ing ; and that is followed, when completed, by the
lateral unrolling of the leaves on the rachis, which
lateral unrolling is followed by perpendicular and
lateral unrolling in alternation.

We have offered the preceding very simple
definitions of the distinctive characteristics of
Ferns, merely as some kind of guide to those who
are totally unable to distinguish a Fern from
another plant. But if, at first, there be any diffi-
culty in making this distinction, it will be short-
lived. About Ferns, whether small or large,
whether just starting into life or developed into
their finest proportions, there is an almost inde-
scribable aspect of grace. We have often wan-
dered for miles through ferny lanes, with no eye
for any plants but Ferns. They have seemed to
speak to us, and they have invited and engrossed
our attention, as they will invite and engross the
attention of all who lovingly and admiringly seek
these children of the woods and lanes in their
wild habitats.

221

CHAPTER III.

ABOUT SOIL FOE FERNS.

HERE and how can the Fern-lover

obtain the soil suitable for growing
his favourite plants ? This is a
question that the amateur Fern-
cultivator will often ask, and though it would
be easy to suggest that all trouble on this
head may be saved by sending an order for
Fern- soil to the nearest nurseryman or florist,
such a reply would scarcely be deemed satisfac-
tory, and the advice embodied in it, if followed,
would not invariably lead to satisfactory results.
When the agent employed to supply Fern-soil has
given especial attention to Fern-culture, he may
probably, in most cases, be trusted to provide

223

THE FEKN PARADISE.

what is requisite ; but knowledge of and intel-
ligent interest in the subject are not always to be
expected even from professed gardeners, and the
readers of this { Plea for the culture of Ferns '
will at any rate wish to have such foreknowledge
as may help them to judge for themselves of the
suitability or unsuitability of proffered soils.

Fern-soils may be said, generally, to be of three
kinds, consisting of leaf-mould, peat, and loam ;
and most of our old woods and forests will be
found to furnish all three, oftentimes lying in
regular gradation one over the other. Leaf-
mould is a vegetable soil, consisting, as its name
indicates, of decayed leaves. Naturally this soil
— in places that have remained for a long series
of years undisturbed — will be found on the sur-
face of the ground, having been there formed by
the accumulation and decay of the leaves which
annually fall from the trees. Immediately under-
lying the leaf-mould, peat — also a vegetable soil,
but one consisting largely of root and other
vegetable fibres — will often be found, though it is
more particularly boggy and marshy ground that
furnishes peat. Lower still we may come upon a

224

ABOUT SOIL FOR FERNS.

stratum of what is called loam — a sort of clayey
earth, existing under varying circumstances in
varying degrees of lightness or heaviness.

Those who may wish to learn the secret of the
luxuriance of Ferns in a forest, would do well to
study the exact position as regards soil which
these plants occupy, and to compare their varying
degrees of prosperity with the varying circum-
stances of their growth. If this be done, it will
invariably be found that the lower sides of the
Ferns are embedded in peat or loam, or a mixture
of the two, whilst the upper parts are surrounded
by deposits of leaf-mould. The first-mentioned
soils chiefly furnish the moisture required by the
roots and rootlets ; the leaf-mould supplies the
chief part of the nutriment. The particular pre-
ference of particular Ferns for heavier or lighter
subsoils of loam will be shown in the suggestions
— which will be offered in the succeeding pages —
for the successful culture of the various species
of our native Ferns.

It may happen, however, that access to a wood
or forest is not easily secured, and that the rough
soil of the garden — with such sandy loam as can

225

THE FERN PARADISE.

be easily obtained from a nurseryman for render-
ing light and friable the Fern-compost — is all
that can be made readily available. Under these
circumstances a chemical fertilizer — such, for
instance, as ' Amies' chemical manure ' — will
furnish a desirable substitute for the fertilizing
properties of leaf-mould.

If, however, the opportunity should offer, the
Fern-lover who desires to unravel the secret of
successful Fern-growth should examine for him-
self the constituents of the soil in those places
where Ferns are found growing in greatest
luxuriance. In this way Nature herself will teach
many useful and valuable lessons, which will
greatly aid in the loving work of Fern-culture.

226

•THE KERN PARADISE.'

PLATE i.

i. Bracken.— 2. Hartstongue.— 3. Lady Fern.— 4. Hard Fern.— 5. Royal Fern.— 6. True Maiden-
hair.—7. Parsley Fern.— 8. Bristle Fern.— 9. Moouwort.— 10. Adders-tongue.— n. Little Adders-tongue-

CHAPTER IV.

SINGLE BEITISH FERNS.
PLATE 1.

THE BEACKEN.

Pteris aquilina.
PLATE 1, FIG. 1.

F all our native Ferns, the Bracken,
or Brake, is the most plentiful,
and the most widely distributed.
It abounds almost everywhere ; and
hence, perhaps, the reason why it has been con-
sidered by some persons to be a common or vulgar-
looking plant. But it is emphatically a vulgar
taste which can thus judge of this beautiful Fern.
To our mind it is extremely graceful ; and its abun-

229

THE FEJiN PARADISE.

dance does but increase the charm which it flings
over bill, woodland, and plain ; and does but
testify to the abounding goodness of the Creator
in giving us so much to delight the eye and to
please the mind.

That the Bracken is put to vulgar uses may be
granted; and that it represents to the vulgar
eye — more completely, indeed, than any other
member of the graceful family to which it belongs
— the idea of ' a Fern,' we equally concede. But
we indignantly repudiate the attempt to fasten the
stigma of vulgarity upon the wild Brake. The
reproach recoils upon those who invented it ; and
the beautiful plant will have its reward in the
keen appreciation of the true Fern- lover.

We have said that the Brake is to be found
almost everywhere. The general fact is a suffi-
cient indication of its hardiness. But under
such conditions alone as Ferns love is it to be
found growing in full spendour, and endowed with
all its natural grace and beauty. Alike on the
wild open common, in the dark shade of the
woodland, by the glancing waters of our streams,
perched on the hedge-tops, swathed in the deep

230

THE BRACKEN.

foliage of the hedge-banks, covering the hill-sides,
on the bleak hill-tops, grow the Brakes ; now
tall and vigorous, now dwarfed and feeble :
but whether of giant or pigmy growth, ever
graceful. Where yonder wood has, year by year,
for many a long year past, shed its soft crop of
leaves, which, softly falling, soften in decay, and
form a spongy bed of mould — there the Bracken
revels : there its roots delightedly wander through
the congenial soil, sending up a miniature forest
of delicate-looking fronds, which wave their
graceful tips underneath the larger forest growths,
which spread themselves against the sunlight.

The Bracken has a creeping root. It is, in
fact, a curious kind of root — half stem, half root
— which crawls along horizontally underground.
Sometimes, when attracted by soft, congenial soil,,
this root penetrates deeply into the earth. It
has, in fact, been known to go down to as great a.
depth as fifteen feet. Commonly, however, the
depth is much less. If the top soil be sufficiently
congenial to the plant, it contents itself with
creeping — most extensively however. As it creeps
horizontally — and its vertical subterranean ad-

231

THE FERN PARADISE.

vance does not interfere with its horizontal pro-
gress— it throws up at short intervals its beautiful
fronds, which first find their way above ground in
spring, the time varying with the earliness or late-
ness of the season. The creeping roots of the
Bracken are chiefly thick, varying from the thick-
ness of an ordinary lead pencil to that of the
little finger of the hand ; and the rootlets or
fibrous roots of this Fern are few in number.
We may appropriately adopt, from botanical
phraseology, a name for the thick creeping root
of the Bracken, especially as w^e shall have occa-
sion to use it when speaking of other Ferns with
similar roots. There is the less objection to
the use of this name, because it is simple and
euphonious. We shall, then, style the creeping
root of the Bracken the rbizoma. From the sub-
terranean, succulent, blackish -coloured rhizoma
start the incipient fronds, which, when they
break the earth, have the appearance of little
hoary, hairy buds, that unfold and develope into
the perfect frond.

The fronds of the Bracken — stem and leaf
together — rise to all heights ; from sometimes

232

THE BRACKEN.

only a few inches, when the plant is growing on
hard, uncongenial soil, and remains exposed to
the power of sun and wind, to a height of ten
feet, when growing in the moist, shady recesses of
woods and forests. The nature of the soil and
situation influences, too, the form and develop-
ment of this Fern. But describing it under its
usual conditions, it may be stated that the stalk
of the frond, of a lovely green colour, is a little
more than half the length of the latter, which,
from the point where the stalk ends, exhibits a
triangular appearance. But its uppermost tip
forms the most acute angle of the three, the
bottom of the frond being the shortest of its three
sides. Unrolling upwards, the bare stalk being
terminated, and the rachis — the main or central
stem of the frond proper — having commenced, on
each side, right and left, are thrown out in pairs
the side branches. These side branches continue
to be thrown out in pairs as the fronds unroll
upwards, — each pair, however, diminishing in
length until the extreme point of the frond is
attained, within a short distance of which the
perpendicular and the lateral extensions are

233

THE FERN PARADISE.

merged. Each one of the side branches is again
divided, and bears on its midrib successive pairs
of leaflets, sometimes placed opposite each other,
and sometimes placed alternately. These are
longest at the part of the branch near the central
midrib of the frond, and gradually diminish in
length as they reach the extreme point of the
branch, until they terminate in a point. In fine
specimens of the Bracken, the leaflets on the side
branches of the frond are again divided — this time
into lobes, which are arranged in pairs on the rib
of the leaflet. The lobes are narrow, and oblong
in shape, with broad bases and bluntish tops, each
lobe at the base of the branches at the lower por-
tion of the frond being distinct — that is to say,
disconnected from the lobes on each side of it;
but towards the tips of the lower branches, and
on all the branches at the highest part of the
frond, the division between the lobes on each
leaflet is not carried down to the rib of the leaflet,
which in such a case presents somewhat the ap-
pearance of a double-edged saw. At the backs,
and along the margins of the lobes of the Bracken,
lie the spore-cases in countless myriads, covered

234

THE BRACKEN.

by a thin leaf-skin, and arranged in rounded lines ;
at first, in colour of a whitish green, but becoming,
as autumn arrives, a rich golden brown. Then
the skin cases which cover these infinitesimal
germs of Fern life bursting, the tiny atoms are
scattered far and wide, and falling on congenial
soil, and being subjected to the conditions which
favour their existence, become developed into
the mysterious and beautiful forms which we
admire.

One curious and interesting peculiarity of the
wild Bracken must be noticed. If a vigorous
stem of a Bracken frond be cut transversely close
to the ground, and examined, a figure having a
striking resemblance to an oak-tree will be dis-
covered in the centre of the cut section of the
stem.

In lovely Devonshire we have seen the beautiful
Bracken, in the damp recesses of woods, soaring
to its greatest height of ten feet, and spreading
abroad its feathery arms with exquisite and droop-
ing grace. It is always beautiful, especially when
densely covering the ground ; but we do not recol-
lect to have ever seen it wear so charming an

235

THE FERN PARADISE.

aspect as in one particular fir copse in the imme-
diate neighbourhood of Newton Abbott. The
whole length of the fir plantation, as far as the
eye could reach in every direction, was covered
with golden-green Bracken. The graceful sym-
metry of the scene was really charming. No tall
grass, no plants, or shrubs of any kind were inter-
mingled with the sea of feathery Brakes which,
waving in the wind, conveyed to the mind a
weirdly graceful idea of fairy -land.

The Bracken is, indeed, the free wild Fern
of the forest ; possessing pre-eminently a tender
and romantic grace. It is the Fern of the forest,
as distinguished from the Fern of the wood, grove,
or copse. Transplanted, it will retain all its de-
lightful characteristics in the Fern garden. "We
have read in some Fern books that the Bracken
cannot be cultivated at all in gardens and rock-
eries ; in others that its cultivation is extremely
difficult. But both statements are erroneous ; and
the mistake has probably arisen in this way.
Great care is necessary in taking up the Bracken
from its wild habitats, in order to secure a proper
quantity of rhizoma and of root ; and without this

:36

THE BRACKEN.

care the rliizoma is liable to get broken. The
latter penetrates the soil to some depth, and to
transplant it successfully, you must dig deeply
down. The best plan is to remove such specimens
as may be found growing on shallow though rich
beds of leaf -mould ; that is to say, under con-
ditions which compel the rhizoma to creep hori-
zontally, instead of to grow down vertically. Then
in order not to break or injure the rhizoma, the
plant should be removed together with the soil
in which it may be growing. Small specimens
should be taken with this object, as it is generally
impossible to get up the roots of the larger
growths. We remember going to Hampstead
Heath, some few years since, for a small Bracken.
We removed one, turf and all, bodily, and the
same plant has grown bravely. At one time it
performed an extraordinary feat. We planted it
between two small rockeries amongst irregular
blocks of stone ; and during the summer it threw
up its fronds from its creeping rhizoma in various
directions. One morning we noticed what ap-
peared to be a broken tip — freshly broken it
seemed — of our Bracken frond lying on the top

237

THE FERN PARADISE.

of one of the rockeries which the plant had over-
shadowed. "We proceeded to pick up the broken
piece, when wonderful to behold, it was not a
broken piece at all, bat the persevering tip of an
enterprising frond which bad found its way right
through the rockery ', and had begun ^gracefully and
triumphantly to unfold on the top. What this
clever Bracken will ultimately do, it is impossible
to say; but we shall not be surprised, after its
adventure through the rockery, to find its fronds
peeping up in any part of our garden.

The Bracken is a great favourite of ours ; and
it cannot be other than a favourite with all true
Fern-lovers. Give it shade, moisture, rich loam
and leaf-mould, and plenty of room to creep, and
it will bring to your 'Fern paradise,' the wild
grace of the forest.

238

THE HAKTSTOSGUE.

2

THE HAETSTONGUL'.

Scolopendrium vulgare.

PLATE 1, Fia. 2.

[IMPLEST and most easily recognizable
of the Ferns of Great Britain is the
Hartstongue. Yet it is beautiful, not-
withstanding its eminently simple and unpre-
tending form. Its range is wide indeed—
almost if not quite universal throughout Great
Britain ; very plentiful in England and Ireland,
somewhat less plentiful in Scotland, and fairly
distributed throughout Wales. You cannot mis-
take its green tongue- shaped frond, narrow and
tapering, simple and undivided; sometimes smooth
and straight, sometimes crumpled, but always
delightfully green. The Hartstongue is in fact an
evergreen, its new fronds starting into sight in
April or May, continuing to grow until the end
of September — and retaining their greenness even
throughout the winter. The description of this
beautiful Fern cannot puzzle even the merest tyro

239

THE FERN PARADISE.

in Fern lore. A tufted root-stock, its crown
elevated slightly above the ground level. Beneath,
long fibrous roots, finding their way into the
soil, or — when growing in rocky places, or amidst
old ruins — into the moist interstices between the
stones or masonry. Above, from the crown, tufts
of delightful, green, leathery-textured fronds,
erect and bold in habit when growing in exposed
situations ; gracefully drooping when in the dark,
damp recesses of a shady retreat. In length from
an inch to a yard, sometimes even more, according
to circumstances and surroundings. A stem
usually one-third the length of the entire frond —
stem and leafy portion included. From the point
of the stem commences the leafy section of the
frond, which is hollowed at its lower part, heart-
fashion ; so that from the point where the stem
(stipes) ends and the midrib of the leafy portion
of the frond begins, the latter hangs down on
each side in the manner of two little ears. The
frond proper is tongue-shaped — hence doubtless
its name — and tapers in its upper portion to a
point ; and from this point, through the centre of
the frond, is carried a thick midrib, on each side

240

THE HARTSTONGUE.

of which — at the back of the frond — are arranged
in oblique lines the spore-cases, protected by a
green cuticle covering them when the frond is
young, but bursting this covering in the fall of the
year, and revealing the lines of rich, dark-brown
seed clusters. The stem of the Hartstongue
when young is covered with beautiful white
downy-looking hairs or scales, which, as the plant
becomes older, assume a brownish tinge ; the stem
itself being usually of a dark purplish colour. The
fresh, shining green of the Hartstongue is delight-
ful to behold. The plant, altogether, beautifully
contrasts with the compound forms of the other
British Ferns. It is most interesting to study its
varying moods in its free wild state. Few of our
native Ferns are so enterprising as the Harts-
tongue. It will grow even on bare walls in the
full sunlight, where it can at the best get little
moisture for its roots. In such situations, how-
ever, it becomes a tiny thing, rarely exceeding two
or three inches in length, and often assuming a
yellowish colour from constant exposure. But
the favourite haunts of the Hartstongue are the
depths of cool woods ; the tops of hedge-banks

241

THE FERN PARADISE.

where clustering foliage shuts out the sun and
keeps in the moisture ; damp hedge-sides, where
perchance a perpetual trickle is produced by per-
colating water ; and the moist and dripping sides
of wells. In such places its shining fronds grow
to their finest dimensions. In the damp and
shady clefts of rocks, too, the Hartstongue loves
to grow. Clothing cavern walls and dropping
from cavern roofs, it may also be found in great
abundance. Oftentimes splendid specimens of
this simple and beautiful Fern maybe seen on the
moist sides of parapet-walls, that overhang some
brook or river ; and in such situations it bends its
green and shining tops downwards, until they kiss
the sparkling, eddying current below them. There
they revel in the spray and vapour which sur-
round them, waving their lovely tufts in the wind.
The Hartstongue becomes a delightful occupant
of the cool rockery in your ' Fern paradise.' Give
it the coolest and shadiest nooks, sandy loam,
leaf-mould, and peat, and abundance of water,
and it will well reward the care bestowed upon it;
for its greenness and freshness will always make
your heart glad.

242

THE LADY

3.

THE LADY FERN.

Athyrium filix-foemina.
PLATE 1, FIG. 3.

iMONGST our native Ferns this species
stands almost unrivalled. Charming
as all the Fern family are, there is in
this particular member of it an indescribable love-
liness. Words can but inadequately picture its
attractions. It must be seen to be thoroughly ap-
preciated ; and one glance will convey to the mind
a glad sense of its soft beauty, such as no verbal
description can properly give. It is, indeed,
amongst its kind, the queen of delicacy, grace, and
beauty.

Combined with its singular gracefulness, there
is an extreme simplicity about the Lady Fern,
rendering its formal description a matter of ease.
It has a tufted root-stock, always slightly raised
above the surface on which this Fern is found to
grow ; sometimes raised to a height of several

243

THE FEEN PARADISE.

inches. From the under side of the root-stock
grow the thin, matted, fibrous roots, which pene-
trate deeply into the soil, and eagerly drink in
the abundant moisture which is essential to its
existence. From the crown of the root-stock
start, in thick tufts, a mass of delightful, green,
brittle, and herbaceous fronds, supported each on
its stem — one-third, and sometimes one-fourth, of
its entire length ; sometimes bright green in colour,
at other times purple. The form of the frond is
lance- shaped, widening from its base to its centre,
and tapering thence to its apex. Along its central
rib, or rachis, are arranged — opposite in pairs or
in alternation — a line of pinned or leaflets tapered
outwards in the same way that the frond is tapered
upwards. On each side of the midrib of each leaf-
let is a row of lobes, beautifully serrated, or saw-
edged, and bluntish towards their points. In the
larger leaflets the lobes are distinct and separate
one from the other. In the smaller ones the
division between the lobes is less marked ; and this
is the case in every plant with the lobes which lie
near the points of the leaflets.

The delightful, but most delicate, fronds of the

244

THE LADY FERN.

Lady Fern are cut down on the approach of win-
ter, during which the plant remains dormant.
But in spring, about May. new fronds again start
from the root-stock, in abundance ; and in the
height of summer the beautiful plant attains the
full glory of its perfection, with its mass of light,
delicate-green, arched, and gracefully drooping
fronds, at the back of which lie in thousands-
ensconced under the partial protection of the
beautifully frilled, and indented lobe edges — the
little horse shoe-shaped clusters of spore-cases
which contain myriads of tiny seeds.

Most cool and shady of cool and shady nooks
are the habitats of the beautiful Lady Fern. Down
by the river's brink, just where the spray-flinging
stream makes the air moist and cool, and where
overhanging boulders or covering branches keep
in the shadow and keep out the sun, there will
you find the Lady Fern perched, its droopingly
delicate and lace-like fronds quivering in response
to the touch of the thousand tiny water-drops
which, flung by the dashing water, fall over it
each moment. Sometimes, but rarely, when
streams are not near, this exquisite Fern may be

245

THE FERN PARADISE.

found growing on open hedge-banks ; but these
are not its favourite or its natural habitats ; and
when by chance it may be growing there, it will
be found to have lost half of its natural grace and
delicacy. In the deepest shade of the wood, on
moss-covered soil, through which pure water
unceasingly percolates, causing heavy moisture to
pervade the air ; or at the foot of a shady bank,
over which trickles a tiny stream from the level
above it ; or perchance perched in the dark cleft
formed by the overhanging rock of a waterfall,
will you find the Lady Fern developed to its finest
proportions, and assuming its most graceful and
beautiful aspect.

A charming occupant for your e Fern paradise '
is the Lady Fern. Whether in the house or the.
garden it matters not, — it will thrive well. But
remember that it lives upon shade and moisture.
These are its food and drink ; and without them
it will shrink and die. If in the garden, place it
in the shadiest corner of your rockery, and when
there you can never give it too much water. But
give ib full freedom. Place it where it can
have ample space to unroll and spread out its

246

THE LADY FEKN.

charming fronds. If you would see these dis-
played in their natural and graceful habit, their
tips should not touch any jutting fragment of
stone. Although planted in the lowest tier of
your rockery, it should stand on the crest of a
stony knoll, so that its arching fronds may be
thrown upwards and outwards, free of any
surrounding obstruction. In such a chosen
situation, it will exhibit the perfection of its
gracefully arching habit.

Have you a shady window in the house, on
which, facing north, the sun never shines ? If
you have, choose that window for the Lady Ferns
you may wish to grow indoors. Place the pots
containing them, if you will, on the window-
ledge, or suspend them in mid-window by a cord
depending from the top, and holding a wire
basket or other receptacle. The pot saucers
should be kept half-full of water, so as to keep
the beautiful plants moist and cool. Provide
for them soil of rich loam, leaf-mould, peat, and
sand. Then they will thrive luxuriantly in their
adopted home; and from window-sill or mid-
window will smile on you thankfully.

247

THE FERN PARADISE.

4.

THE HARD FERN.

Bleclm u m spica n t.

PLATE 1, FIG. 4.

jLTHOUGH not so graceful as most of
the British Ferns, there is a rigid
elegance about the Hard Fern. Its
name is admirably suited to its character, for
its texture is hard, and its growth robust. But
its delightful colour — a dark shining green —
and the elegance of simplicity which is notice-
able in the arrangement of the leaflets on its
fronds — make amends for its lack of feathery
grace. Like the Lady Fern, in whose company
it is frequently found, it delights in abundant
moisture and the most complete shade, preferring
situations where water perpetually trickles over
its crown. Its fronds grow from a tufted root-
stock, and are supported on stems which vary in
length in different specimens, but are generally
not more than one-sixth the length of the frond

248

THE HARD FEKN.

proper. This Fern grows in varying degrees of
luxuriance, according to soil and situation. We
have seen magnificent specimens — in lovely
Devonshire — in damp woods, and on the moist
banks of brawling streams, growing to a length
of nearly a yard. This Fern has two perfectly
distinct kinds of frond : the one barren, the other
seed-bearing; the latter being always narrower
than the former. The barren fronds are lance-
shaped, or perhaps it would be better to say they
are strap-shaped, but tapering more or less from
their centres to their bases and to their apices.
One simple midrib — in continuation of the
stipes — clothed on each side with a row of leaf-
lets, not quite separated from each other, but
joined by a narrow, straight, leafy wing, which
runs along the entire length of the midrib on
both of its sides. The leaflets are somewhat
narrow and blunt-pointed ; the whole frond
having very much of a comb-like appearance.
The fertile fronds are taller than the barren ones,
and grow up from the centre of the tufts formed
by the latter. In these fertile fronds the leaflets
are much narrower than those of the barren

249

THE FERN PARADISE.

fronds, and, unlike the latter, they are quite dis-
tinct, being separated by a greater space from
each other. There is, too, a much longer stem in
the fertile fronds of the Hard Fern than in the
barren ones, the leaflets being at first the tiniest
protuberances from the midrib, and gradually
extending in length; but again decreasing in
length as they near the apex of the frond. The
backs of the fertile fronds in their upper parts
are densely covered with seed-cases. So soon as
the spores in these have — in the autumn — been
scattered, the tall, thin fertile fronds wither and
drop away to the ground; but the barren fronds
are evergreen, and preserve their delightful fresh-
ness until the reappearance of spring calls up
another cluster from the root-stock.

The Hard Fern is widely distributed and
abundant, delighting most to grow in damp and
dripping situations. It should therefore be
grown in the lowest tiers of your Fern rockery,
and have abundant moisture. In its wild state
it is often found growing in somewhat stiff clay
soils, but it succeeds well in fibrous soils in which
leaf-mould largely abounds. It will not be too

250

THE ROYAL FERN.

particular concerning the soil in which you grow
it, but the nearer you can approach to the con-
ditions under which it is found growing in
greatest luxuriance in its native woods, heaths,
and bogs, the greater success will attend your
cultivation of it.

5,

THE ROYAL FERN.

Osmunda regalis.

PLATE 1, FIG. 5.

F royal and noble aspect, indeed, is the
Royal or Flowering Fern. It is the
largest and grandest of our native
species, and approaches more nearly than any
other to the form of a tree Fern. Its
favourite habitats are the banks of moorland
streams where it can secure abundant moisture,
and a soft, spongy, peaty soil. Oftentimes it is
found in damp woods, growing in such situations
to an average height of four, five, or six feet. It

251

TEE FEBN PAEAD1SE.

is, however, found in greatest luxuriance in parts
of Ireland; and on the banks of the lakes of
Killarney it sometimes attains a height of twelve
feet, and presents a singularly grand and beautiful
aspect. The root-stock in most of our native
Ferns is seldom raised more than a few inches
above the surface of the ground ; but in the case
of the Eoyal Fern its root-stock, somewhat after
the manner of the tree Ferns of the tropics, is, in
large specimens, raised to a height of one, or even
two feet above the ground, thus forming a kind
of pedestal for its tufts of tall and arching fronds.
The general form of the fronds of this stately
and beautiful Fern is lance-like, as, indeed — more
or less broadly or narrowly — are all our British
Ferns. But there is a peculiar distinctiveness
about the grand Osmunda which renders it easily
recognizable amongst other species. The stem is
of a light yellowish green, and the rachis bears
several pairs of branches, placed on each side of
it, and opposite ; each pair diminishing in length
towards the apex of the frond. The branches are
themselves broadly lance-shaped. Ranged alter-
nately or in pairs on each branch are a set of

252

THE ROYAL FERN.

leaflets. These leaflets are oblong in shape, with
broadish bases and obtuse points. In the centre
of the base of each leaflet there is a slight hollow
corresponding with the line of its mid- vein, the
continuation of which forms a stem so short, how-
ever, as to be scarcely perceptible without close
inspection, but forming a connecting link with
the stem of the branch. If you hold the frond
of the Osrnunda against the light and look
through the leaflets, you will see a really beauti-
ful arrangement of veins. There are two kinds
of fronds in the Flowering Fern — barren and fer-
tile. It is the barren frond which we have been
describing. In the fertile frond the lower portion
is similar to the barren frond, but in the upper
portion the leaflets are contracted, and bear on
their backs dense clusters of seed-cases. At first
green, these seed- cases gradually become light
brown in colour, and then they almost com-
pletely hide the contracted leaflets on which they
are borne. At this stage they have somewhat
the appearance of a flower at the top of the
frond; thus giving some reason for the name
which has been affixed to this species. In

I 2

253

THE FERN PARADISE.

reality, however, the fructification of the Osmunda
looks like what it is — a cluster of ripened seed-
cases, and it bears but a slight resemblance to
a flower.

In bogland as well as in woodlands and along
the streams of moorlands the Royal Fern finds its
habitats. The largest specimens have enormous
roots, and the Fern-hunter will have to labour
hard to get them up. But it is a labour of love,
and one not to be delegated to others. After
carefully digging up in the woods and trans-
planting in your Fern garden a noble specimen,
there is an immense satisfaction in remembering,
when you see it unroll its fronds in its new home,
that you yourself gathered it. Every time you
look at it the sight brings back the delightful
association of the wild woods and the grand
moorland scenery, amongst which you may have
wandered in your Fern-hunting rambles.

Pleasing indeed, almost beyond expression, are
the scenes which we recall to mind in connexion
with, the stately Osmunda: scenes of sylvan
beauty of a rare and unusual kind. We will
instance one of these, and the relation may,

254

1
THE ROYAL FERN.

perhaps, serve to recall similar scenes to the
minds of our readers.

We had started from Totnes to search, on the
borders of Dartmoor, for some specimens of the
Koyal Fern, taking the precaution to provide
ourselves with the necessary digging implements.
Away we drove for seven miles amidst ever-
varying landscapes, by copse, hedgerow, stream,
and meadow; now climbing the upland road;
now — arrived on the upland crest — catching a
momentary glimpse of the wide landscape, spread,
in its mingled loveliness, over many a long mile;
now passing down a steep declivity, under the
darkening shadow of overhanging woods. Still
•descending, on we went. Now we crossed the
glancing waters of the winding Dart; and now,
again ascending and descending upland after
upland, we arrived at length at a point of our
road within a few hundred yards of our destination.
Then we turned round to the right, and before
descending a carriage road just wide enough to
admit our barouche, we paused a moment, spell-
bound by the transcendent loveliness of the
.scene. A valley of woods of varying hues of

255

THE FEKN PARADISE.

green, and in the deepest gorge of the valley
the beautiful Dart, its winding course — where
the glancing water was hidden from view — shown
by the taller forms and the darker shade of the
trees on its banks ! A few moments more, and
we have, in following our narrow path, lost the
outside view. We are now, in fact, away from
the sunlight, and under the shade of the tall
and graceful trees of a coppice. Oh, delightful
coolness ! Beneath our feet soft velvety turf of
glorious golden green. Above, the tall tree-tops
screening the sunlight and checkering the blue
sky.

But the Osmunda — the stately, the beautiful
Osmunda ! We are close upon its habitat. The
Fern abounds in lovely Devonshire, and fringes
the banks of the Dart, and we are now within
sight of that river. We turn from the coppice
along a narrow winding path, and as we proceed
onward the sound of rushing water strikes on our
ear. Now screening branches deepen the shadows
on our way, until presently the light comes in
upon our path through the tangled shrubs on our
right. Putting these on one side and brushing

256

THE KOYAL FEKN.

into their midsb, we soon find ourselves on the
river's brink. Then we emerge again into the
full daylight. The sun sparkles on the rippling
stream, giving the light as from ten thousand
diamonds ; and here, at last, bending over the
banks — their tall fronds spreading outwards and
moving res pensively to the breeze, which is
briskly blowing — are Osmundas in rich profu-
sion ! Hard by is a fine tuft of the Mountain
Buckler Fern, and intermingled with it are equally
fine tufts of the Hard Fern. Both are on the ex-
treme brink of the stream, and their roots and
those of the Osmundas are within reach of the
abundant moisture, which is the secret of their
grand proportions. Split fragments of rock are
scattered about on the river side and in mid
stream, giving a wild picturesqueness to the whole
scene, which is beyond description lovely. The
gurgling, splashing, foaming water, sparkling
with its ten thousand diamond flashes; the wood-
bounded, winding banks, with waving Fern-
fronds, now carried aloft and arching outwards
with graceful symmetry, now softly drooping,
whilst their pendant tips are caught one moment

257

THE FEEX PARADISE.

by the impatient stream, to be released the next
and to fling a shower of silver drops around
them.

Who could resist the temptation to carry away
a tiny bit of this river and woodland scenery, by
impounding yon jutting clump of Fern-roots,
Osmunda, Hard Fern, and Mountain Buckler
Fern ? There is here enough and to spare, and
Nature, in her rich profusion, can well afford us
the pleasure which we derive from the possession
and transplantation of some of our favourites.
Nature asks no questions, demands no penalties
for our spoliation, but freely gives us up these
wild and beautiful plants.

We have them still. Taken from the dewy
moorlands, they nevertheless spread out still their
characteristic loveliness in our Fern garden, al-
though imprisoned within city walls ; and we
never look at them without experiencing a keen
sense of pleasure, as we recall all the circum-
stances of our wild ramble in search of them.

258

THE TRUE MAIDENHAIR.

6.

THE TRUE MAIDENHAIR.

Adiantum eapillus- Veneris.

PLATE 1, FIG. 6.

I HIS beautiful Fern is one of the rarest of
our native species. It is found in
Devonshire and Cornwall, in some parts
of South Wales, and in Ireland ; in Ireland, in
fact, more abundantly than in any other part of
the United Kingdom. But it is more than possible
that the True Maidenhair abounds in some loca-
lities where it has never been yet discovered. It
often grows in inaccessible situations, and this
fact would give a reason for the supposition which
we have started. Rocks on or near the sea
coast, and dripping sea caves, are its favourite
habitats.

The True Maidenhair has a black, hairy, creep-
ing rhizoma of slender shape, from which are
thrown up a little clustering mass of the most
beautiful and delicate fronds. The stems of the

259

THE FEEN PARADISE.

fronds are more like thick hairs than the stems of
a plant. The general outline of the frond is
triangular. Its length varies from six inches to a
foot; but sometimes, under conditions peculiarly
favourable to its growth, it reaches a length of
more than a foot. The stem is about the same
length as the leafy portion, but sometimes is much
longer. On each side of the rachis, in irregu-
lar alternation, are the branches — if they may
be so called — of the frond. These branches,
black and shining, are like lesser hairs ; and to
them are fastened on each side, in irregular order,
delicate fan-shaped leaflets of an exquisite shade
of green. The leaflets are fastened to the branches
of the frond by short, hair-like filaments, black
and shining, somewhat like the stem and branches,
but thinner and more delicate. The spores of the
True Maidenhair are borne on the edges of the
backs of its leaflets, the margins bearing them
being folded back, forming a cover and protection
to them. The margins thus turned back lose
their green colour and become blanched.

It is the fortune of few Fern-lovers to see the
True Maidenhair growing in its wild habitats.

260

THE TRUE MAIDENHAIR.

But as a cultivated plant it is not rare, for, like
all our Ferns, the myriads of seeds which each
plant bears enable it to be extensively propagated.
Artificially grown, it will, in warm, moist, and
sheltered situations, live and thrive in the open-
air rockery. But its excessively delicate nature
requires peculiar care, and renders it more espe-
cially adapted for indoor cultivation. And to
grow it successfully indoors, especial attention
must be given to its requirements. It cannot
bear the sudden changes in temperature to which
the atmosphere of some sitting-rooms is subject.
When there is an equable temperature main-
tained, and the air is not too dry — as, for instance,
in rooms which are not constantly inhabited—
this Fern will thrive in pots, in the proper soil,
without any covering. But otherwise a covering
of glass is essential, so as to keep around the
plant a perpetual moisture. With such a cover-
ing it will revel in the warmth of inhabited rooms,
and become a delightful companion for the Fern-
lover, distilling on the points of its fronds the
dewdrops of its prison. A light soil, suited to
the delicate nature of the plant, must be provided

261

THE FERN PARADISE.

for tlie True Maidenhair. Mix peat and silver-
sand together, the former predominating, and in
the mixture let there be some broken pieces of
limestone or sandstone. Or, if you will, imbed in
the soil two large pieces of limestone or sand-
stone ; put them near together ; fill up the inter-
stice with some of the soil you have prepared,
and plant the delicate rhizomas of the Maidenhair
between. The pot or case in which it is grown
you should half fill with broken pieces of stone or
flower-pot, intermingled with a few pieces of
charcoal to keep them sweet. Then upon this
mixture of broken flower-pot and charcoal place
the peat and silver-sand, and thereon plant your
Fern. If you have a window in which no sun
shines, you may there suspend your Maidenhair in
the half-shell of a cocoa-nut. But holes must be
bored in the bottom of the shell, so that when you
occasionally dip it and its beautiful occupant into
water, the superabundant moisture may drain
away ; for remember that Ferns cannot endure
soil rendered unwholesome by stagnant water.
The moisture which they need must be fresh and
pure. The exceptional delicacy of the True

262

THE ANNUAL MAIDENHAIR.

Maidenhair requires exceptional care ; but do not
forget that for all the care which you bestow upon
it, it will repay you by assuming in its adopted
home the freshest and most delicate shade of de-
lightful green, and the most delicate of graceful
forms.

7.

THE ANNUAL MAIDENHAIR.

Gi/mnogramma leptophylla.

|OME general resemblance to the True
Maidenhair in the arrangement of
frond and leaflet, has entitled the
Slender Gymnogram to the name of ' The Annual
Maidenhair.' But this very pretty plant is dis-
tinguished from all our British Ferns by the short
period of its existence — springing up and dying
within the year. A tiny thing it is, only three or
four inches in length, its fronds rising from a
tufted root-stock, their leafy parts being longer
than their stems, which are of a brownish colour,
and smooth. The fronds on the same plant are
graduated in length, preserving no regular shape ;

263

THE FEEN PAEAD1SK.

those at first starting from the root being shorter,
and less prolific than those which succeed. They
are somewhat irregularly divided into branches;
the branches bearing fan -shaped leaflets, which
have their edges notched. On the backs of these
lobes or leaflets are the spore- cases. When these
are shed, in the late summer or autumn, the
Gymnogram dies. The spores then germinate,
and the plants produced, attaining maturity in the
following summer, again die, after producing in
their turn the spores for the succeeding season.

Jersey is the only habitat of the Annual
Maidenhair. There it grows in moist hedge-
banks. But, cui^iously enough, it has an anti-
pathy to the shade of trees, although it likes,
when growing in the open banks of the hedges, the
shelter of dwarf vegetation; sometimes choosing
to keep company with the moss which is to be
found in such situations. In cultivation it should
be grown in the greenhouse, or, if in the dwelling-
house, under glass ; and the soil adapted for it is
light sandy loam and leaf-mould.

264

THIS MOUNTAIN PARSLEY FERN.

8,

THE MOUNTAIN PARSLEY PERN.
Allosorus crispus.

PLATE 1, Fm. 7.

|0 compare this exceedingly pretty little
Fern to a tuft of parsley would be to
give it, perhaps, the best general de-
scription which could be found for it. About
six inches is its average height ; but we ourselves
have had specimens, brought by a friend from the
neighbourhood of Creetown, in Scotland, seven
or eight inches in length : and it is even pos-
sible that larger specimens might be obtained
from habitats where the conditions of growth are
unusually favourable. The Parsley Fern has
two distinct kinds of frond — barren and fertile.
This distinction in the fronds exists in many of
our native Ferns ; but it is only in some that,
as in the case of the Parsley Fern, the con-
formation of the fertile fronds is different from
that of the barren ones. Spores may be present

265

THE 1'EEN PARADISE.

or absent from the backs of fronds without
necessitating any change in their form. But it
sometimes happens that the edges of the frond
are turned back in order to form the spore-case
covers, which in most of the species are a separate
formation. This turning back of the frond edges
narrows and gives a different appearance to the
leaflets so turned back. But there is this further
distinction between the barren and fertile fronds
in the Hard Fern and in the Parsley Fern : in
both cases the fertile fronds are much longer
than the barren ones.

The green smooth stem of the Parsley Fern
is somewhat longer than the leafy portion of the
frond. The shape of the latter is triangular. On
each side of the rachis are branches placed opposite
or in alternation, and on these are the irregular,
serrated leaflets which, from their crisped ap-
pearance, bear, as we have stated, a striking
resemblance to parsley. The contraction of the
seed-bearing leaflets on the taller fertile fronds
gives to them an oval rounded appearance. The
roots of the Parsley Fern are thick and matted,
and from its crown the fronds grow in dense

266

THE MOUNTAIN PARSLEY FEUN.

tufts. They are of a delightful green colour, and
the whole plant forms a conspicuous ornament
of the places where it grows. It is sometimes
called the ' Rock Brakes,' from its habit of
growing in stony places and on rocks and old
walls. It grows plentifully in the North of Eng-
land, is also found in Scotland, and abundantly
in Wales. Some plants have indeed been dis-
covered— so it has been alleged — on Exmoor,
near Challacombe ; but it is not, strictly speaking,
a Devonshire Fern.

In the cultivation of the Parsley Fern one
thing must be borne in mind, namely, that it can-
not endure stagnant moisture. Indeed it does
not like too much moisture of any kind, especially
about its roots. Plant it, if in a pot, in a mix-
ture of sandy peat, leaf-mould, and broken pieces
of stone or flower-pot. It is delicately suscep-
tible of frosts, and its pretty fronds when exposed
on an open rockery will die away on the approach
of winter ; but when the soft genial spring comes
round again, the new fronds will bud into life
once more with all their old green and crisp
freshness.

267

THE FERN PARADISE.

9.

THE BRISTLE FERN.

Trichomanes radicans.

PLATE 1, FIG. 8.

[jOWN on yon dripping rock, where, from
the perpetual spray flung by the ever-
roaring waterfall above, an eternal
moisture reigns ; where the arid winds of winter
and the dry scorching heat of summer can never
change the pervading dampness, which continues
with unceasing persistence, grows the Bristle
Fern ! An eternal moisture is the vital principle
of its existence. Not its roots merely, but crown,
stem, and frond must be surrounded conti-
nuously, unceasingly, by moist vapours. Unlike
the hardy Ferns, which will look fresh and green
in the sunshine, or when exposed to the play of
the dry summer breezes, if their roots can drink
in some moisture from wall, rock, or hedge-bank,
the Bristle Fern shrivels up, through its exqusite
sensitiveness, before the slightest drought.

268

THE DK1STLJ5 JPERN.

Nursed in the atmosphere of the waterfall, in that
atmosphere must it live and develope.

Rare indeed amongst British Ferns is Tricho-
manes radicans. Not England or Wales or
Scotland can produce it. But it seems to have
made a home for itself in the south of Ireland.
There, in many localities, by river-falls, on drip-
ping rocks on the lake borders, in ravines and
glens, it is to be found : but only where un-
ceasing dampness, caused by dripping water,
exists. On the wet surface of the rock or wall
which it has chosen for its habitat it spreads its-
thread-like, matted roots like a film. Sometimes
it grows amongst the moss and earth which may
have collected on the rocks. It has a creeping
rhizoma, from which grow its fibrous roots that
cling to the damp rocks or expand in the moist
crevices between them. The rhizoma is encom-
passed with hairs or bristle-like scales. The
stem of the frond is usually, but not always, about
the same length as its leafy part, the shape of
which, from the point where the rachis com-
mences, is triangular. To the right and to the
left of the rachis, and extending to the apex of the

269

THE FERN PARADISE.

frond, are a series of alternately-placed branches
bearing leaflets divided into lobes, which are
deeply cleft, although not divided down to their
midveins. The leafy expansion surrounding the
veins of the leaflets is of a thin, pellucid, almost
transparent texture. Indeed, were the plant
held up to the light it would seem to consist
of a series of branched, wire-like veins, and
the leafy texture surrounding these veins would
have the appearance of delicate, filmy, semi-
transparent wings. The spores of the Bristle
Fern are produced under a curious arrange
ment. A sort of bristle, which is in reality
placed in continuation of the veins of the leaf-
let, extends beyond the tip of the latter. At
the point of the bristle, placed somewhat like a
crown, is a little receptacle for seed ; and in this
receptacle, around the veinlet which runs through
it, the spores are found. Just where the bristle
passes beyond the tip of the leaflet, the substance
of the latter is thickened, and the bristle has the
appearance of being inserted in a sort of urn.
The bristle-like arrangement has given rise to the
name of this Fern. It will be easily understood,

270

THE BRISTLE PERN.

when the delicate, pellucid, filmy texture of the
fronds of this beautiful species is remembered,
why it is that it cannot exist except in an
atmosphere which is perpetually charged with
moisture.

The Bristle Fern can only be grown under a
covering of glass ; but it may thus be cultivated
with great success, if due care be taken to imitate
as nearly as possible the conditions which are
natural to it. Peat, leaf-mould, and silver-sand,
with pieces of freestone, should compose the soil.
The plant should be placed between the pieces of
stone, and the pot or case in which it is contained
must be kept constantly covered with a glass shade
or frame, so as to retain the utmost possible amount
of moisture. Under such conditions it will grow
luxuriantly ; and it is well worthy of care, for it is
a plant of great rarity and of exquisite delicacy.

271

THE FERN PARADISE.

10.

THE MOONWORT.

Botrychium lunaria.

PLATE 1, FIG. 9.

unpretending little Fern is the Moon-
wort; but, nevertheless, exceedingly
pretty. It is a by no means uncommon
species, although, whilst very abundant in some
districts, it is quite absent from others. The
frond grows to various heights, according to
circumstances ; being sometimes only three inches,
at other times ten or more. As the bud of the
frond grows up, it emerges from a sort of brown
membraneous sheath, which envelopes for some
distance the lower part of the stem of the frond,
as in a case. The Moon wort grows from a
curious, twisted, fleshy root, of a brittle sub-
stance, and succulent in its nature. From this
fleshy root springs up the thick stem of the
frond. This consists of two divisions, a leafy and
a fruitful frond. The leafy portion is carried

272

THE MOON WORT.

outwards and upwards, away from the stem
obliquely. It consists of a single branch, of
oblong shape but blunt pointed, on both sides of
which are a series of leaflets placed along at regular
intervals, supported by short stems which are
attached to their bases. The leaflets are crescent
or fan-shaped, their rounded outside margins being
somewhat cut or indented. Rising above this
leafy or barren frond is the fertile or seed-bearing
frond. This is branched after a similar arrange-
ment to that of the barren or leafy frond, each
branch containing a cluster of seeds enclosed in
globular cases.

The Moonwort abounds in open heaths and
meadows, delighting to grow amongst the grass,
on which, as some persons have asserted, it be-
comes a parasite. Hence in transplanting it for
the home fernery, it is recommended that it
should be taken up from the ground with a good-
sized square of turf, so that the roots may not be
disturbed. Loamy or peaty soil is adapted for it;
and you can grow it on rockery, or in pots. It
dies at the approach of winter ; appearing again
on the early approach of spring.

273

THE FERN PARADISE.

11,

THE ADDERS-TONGUE.

Ophioylossum v idgatam.
PLATE 1, FIG. 10.

[OMEWHAT similar in its general habit
to the Moonwort is the Adders-tongue.
Like the former plant it is found in
meadows, seeking, however, those which are very
damp from the fact of having a clayish soil, and
from being subject to occasional inundations. It
grows to a length of from six inches to a foot
high, the variation in length depending, as is the
case with, all Ferns, and, indeed, with all plants,
upon the conditions — whether favourable or
otherwise — under which it grows. It has a
twisted, fleshy root like the Moonwort, and a suc-
culent stem. The frond is divided into two parts,
• — a barren leaf and a fertile spike or stem. There
is some resemblance in the Adders- tongue —
leaf and seed-bearing spike — to a leaf of the lily of
the valley, with its yet unopened flower-spike. The

274

THE ADDERS-TONGUE.

base of the leaf in the Adders-tongue envelopes
the seed-spike which rises erect from the point of
junction, whilst the leaf — which is somewhat egg-
shaped, or more exactly, perhaps, pear-shaped-
passes upwards in an oblique direction to a
bluntish apex. The bare stem of the seed-bearing
spike is usually about an inch in length, although
it is sometimes more. Then commences the
fructification, which is arranged in two rows — one
on each side of the spike — of seed-cases. These
contain the dust-like spores, and when the latter
are ripe the cases split across and release them.
The spike, at its top, tapers to a point.

The Adders-tongue is plentifully scattered over
England, in such situations as those which have
been named. It is not quite so plentiful either in
Scotland, in Wales, or in Ireland. It will grow
easily in the Fern garden, or in pots, if the proper
amount of care be taken to transplant it properly,
and to imitate as nearly as possible in cultivation
the conditions under which it grows in a state of
nature. As in the case of the Bracken and the
Moonwort, it is necessary, in order to secure
success, to take care in removing the plant to

275

THE FERN PARADISE.

remove as much as possible of the soil in which it
is found growing, without disturbing the roots of
the Fern. Both the Moonwort and the Adders-
tongue are found growing in general in open mea-
dows or heaths, amongst the grass which abounds
in such situations. There is a double advantage
in getting up your Fern without disturbing its
roots. In the first place you make sure that it
will grow ; and in the next place you ensure its
commencing to grow immediately on removal.
You, in fact, bring with your Fern a bit of the
meadow, or wild heath, and in your home ' Fern
paradise ' you at once surround your favourite
with the delightful association of its habitat. The
Adders-tongue does not, perhaps, possess in full
measure the attractions of some other members
of the beautiful Fern family ; but it is, neverthe-
less, beautiful in its simplicity ; and it should by no
means be banished from the Fern house or garden,
or, indeed, from any part of cultivated Fern-land.

276

THE LITTLE ADDERS-TONGUE.

12.

THE LITTLE ADDERS-TONGUE.

Op hiog lossum lusitanicum.

PLATE 1, FIG. 11.

TINY little Fern, sufficiently near in its
resemblance to the Adders-tongue major
to claim close relationship. A British
Fern it is, but hardly an inhabitant of England, —
although it has been stated that specimens have
been found in Cornwall. But in Guernsey it has
its habitats, having been found near some rocks in
that charming little nook, Petit Bot Bay. Like
the Adders-tongue major, Ophioglossum lusitani-
cum has one barren frond — sometimes two — and an
erect spike of fructification. But the barren frond,
instead of being pear-shaped, is lance-shaped,
simple, unscalloped, much smaller, and much nar-
rower than in Vulgaium. Like the latter, it
rises from a fleshy, brittle cluster of twisted
roots; but unlike Vutyatiim, barren stem and
seed-bearing spike, instead of rising some dis-

277

THE FERN PARADISE.

tance together above-ground in the form of a
stem, before separating into the leafy and the
fertile branches, in most instances start separately
from the ground. Like its relative Vulgatum,
the Little Adders-tongue has a stem to its seed-
bearing spike which rises above the barren frond.
At the top of the spike begins the fructification ;
an arrangement of two rows of cases — one on
each side of the stalk supporting them. In these
cases are the dust-like spores, which, as they
ripen, escape through the crevices formed by the
splitting of their little prison-houses.

One peculiarity must be noted in the Little
Adders-tongue. Vnlgaium first sends up its
frond in May, from which time it remains until
the late summer, when it disappears — the root
remaining dormant — until the succeeding spring ;
but Lusitanicum starts into life and vitality in
dreary January, lasts only a short two or three
months, and perishes very early in the season, —
even before the actual commencement of summer.

This modest little Fern only reaches a height
of two or three inches. It is, indeed, even more
unpretending than Vulgatum. But its habitats

278

THE LITTLE ADDERS-TONGUE.

are similar ; and in obtaining it for cultivation
the same precautions must be used. From its
tiny size, there will, of course, be little difficulty
in transplanting it with a sufficiency of its native
soil. Let its roots be undisturbed ; and take it
up bodily in the turf on which it is found grow-
ing. If you wish to plant it in your Fern garden,
place your turf with its tiny freight in the selected
situation. If you would grow it in a pot, secure
one of the size necessary to hold the Fern and its
surrounding tuft of grass and grassy roots.

279

CHAPTER V.

FERN GROUPS.

HERE is relationship in the Fern-
world; and although we do not
propose strictly to adopt the dis-
tinctions made by botanists, we
shall observe a certain order in arranging
our favourites. Hitherto we have described
those Ferns which live, so to speak, in a sort
of isolation amongst us. Of the ten first de-
scribed, each one stands alone, and is, so far as
Britain is concerned, the only species of its genus.
In treating of these, we have not thought it neces-
sary to place them according to any particular
method of arrangement. There is a certain rela-
tionship existing between the Moonwort and the

281

THE FERN PARADISE.

Adders-tongue, and there is even a closer affinity
between the two species of the last-named Fern ;
but we have not considered it necessary to place
these three species amongst the ' Fern groups'
which we shall now proceed to describe. We
propose to follow pretty closely the order observed
by the botanists — arranging the thirty-two Ferns
which we have yet to speak of in seven groups.
These we shall call the Polypodies, the Shield
Ferns, the Bladder Ferns, the Woodsias, the
Buckler Ferns, the Spleenworts, and the Filmy
Ferns.

282

I'IIK FKKN PAKADISK.

TIIK POLYPODIES

PLATE

i. Common Polypody. — 2. Mountain Polypody. — 3. Three-branched Polypody. — 4. Limestone
Polypody.— 5. Alpiue Polypody.

CHAPTER VI.

THE POLYPODIES.
PLATE 2.

>HE c many- footed ' Ferns — as the
words of Greek origin, from which
the generic name Polypodium is
compounded, imply — form a pretty
and interesting group, including in the British
Islands five members, namely: — 1. The Common
Polypody (Polypodium vulgar e). 2. The Moun-
tain Polypody (Polypodium phegopteris). 3. The
Three-branched Polypody (Polypodium dryo-
pteris). 4. The Limestone Polypody (Polypodium
calcareum). And 5. The Alpine Polypody (Poly-
podium alpestre). The rhizomas of these Ferns —
creeping and branching in various directions,

285

THE FERN PARADISE.

giving in some sort the idea of feet — have sug-
gested the designation which is used to dis-
tinguish the group ; although the mark which
gives character to the group from a botanical
point of view is the absence of a protecting
membrane or cover to the little round clusters
of spore-cases at the backs of the fronds of
the species included in the genus Poly podium.
The Alpine Polypody, though bearing the family
name, is not a ' many-footed * Fern ; but it
nevertheless possesses the distinguishing mark of
the group.

I.

THE COMMON POLYPODY.

Polypodium vulgare.
PLATE 2, FIG. 1.

N"E of our most delightful Ferns is the
Common Polypody. It is positively
refreshing and invigorating to look at
it. We have good reason to think so, for as we
write we have a splendid specimen standing

286

THE POLYPODIES.

beside us on our table, in a shallow seed-pan ; and
it does us good to pause now and then, and look
at its glorious wealth of magnificent fronds.
This same specimen was some few weeks since
growing on the moss- covered wall which skirted a
Devonshire brook. When we got it, in its wild
state, its fronds had attained what is generally re-
garded as their maximum length, — namely, eighteen
inches. And what exquisite roots ! A perfect net-
work of fibres, which, growing in the perpetual
moisture engendered under the mossy covering of
the wall, had crept along until they formed a
sheet nearly a foot square. Then, the atmosphere
of the brook had wonderfully helped the vigorous
growth of the plant. We took our specimens
from their damp and mossy habitat — carefully
preserved them during our stay in Devonshire^
by keeping them constantly moist — and then
brought them to our London home. But we did
not forget to supply as nearly as possible the
conditions under which we found them growing
in their natural home. Shade, moisture, and leaf-
mould, are the three conditions of success for
the Common Polypody. It requires no great

K 2

287

THE FERN PARADISE.

depth of soil ; but that soil must he leaf-mould.
We brought the leaf-mould from Devonshire with
our little stock of Polypodies. Some of these we
planted out in our rockery. All have succeeded
to perfection. But the grand plant before us
has exceeded our most sanguine expectations.
All we did was simply to strew the bottom of a
small seed-pan — nine inches wide by three inches
deep — with broken pieces of flower-pot; upon
that to place leaf-mould, and plant our Polypody
therein, covering its rhizoma lightly with the
mould. We then placed the pan upon a large red
olay saucer, and poured water on the roots until
the saucer underneath was full. We continued
this process from time to time, never allowing the
rhizomas of our Polypody to become dry, and
always keeping the saucer underneath the pan
full of water. We have our reward in the grand
development of the plant. The fronds have ex-
ceeded by one inch their maximum growth when
we found them in their wild habitat. The seed-
pan is crowned with a mass of rich, vigorous
fronds, nineteen inches in length. The old fronds
had all got broken off before we planted our

288

THE POLYPODIES.

specimen ; so that its present ones are all the
new growth under the conditions which we have
described.

But now for some detailed description of this
delightful Fern. The Common Polypody is dis-
tributed very generally throughout the United
Kingdom. In the forks of trees ; on pollard
trunks ; on garden walls and old ruins ; in the
moist crevices of rocks in mid-river; on moss-
covered hedge-banks ; almost everywhere on
elevations above the ground level where accu-
mulations of leaf-mould lie in hollows with
pent moisture, will the Common Polypody grow,
thriving most vigorously in situations where its
roots are subject to the most favourable con-
ditions of soil and moisture.

Most appropriately is it called the Polypody —
the many-footed Fern — for its rhizomas creep in
all directions under its shady covering. From
these thick, fleshy rhizomas — about a finger's
thickness — grow its matted fibrous roots. These,
thread-like, penetrate almost everywhere in a
horizontal direction, growing and spreading with
the progress of the rhizomas, from the upper sur-

289

THE FERN PARADISE.

face of which start the clustering fronds. These
are simple, narrow, and strap- shaped in general
outline, having a smooth, light green stem, some-
times about half the length of the entire frond,
but generally somewhat less. On each side of
the very prominent midrib, or rachis, the leafy
portion of the frond is deeply indented or cut in,
almost down to the midrib, giving the appearance
of a row of leaflets on each side of the rachis,
attached to a leafy wing, extending along it
lengthwise. These leaflets are somewhat narrow
and lance-shaped, being terminated in a bluntish
point. The entire frond, like its leaflets, tapers
to a point, the leaflets becoming shorter and
shorter to admit of this arrangement. The
frond, in fact, has somewhat the appearance of
a rough double-toothed comb. Under shelter,
the Common Polypody is evergreen, its delightful
fronds remaining fresh and vigorous throughout
the winter, and until a new crop has been sup-
plied from the rhizomas in the succeeding spring.
At the back, and on the upper portion of the
frond, are the spore-cases, in little round patches,
unprotected by any covering. These, in the

290

THE POLYPODIES.

autumn, assume the beautiful appearance of little
heaps of gold-dust, so richly coloured are they.

Essentially a forest Fern is the Common Poly-
pody, waving its delightful fronds aloft in forest
tree forks. But it has also wonderful powers of
domestication. No Fern is so plentifully vended
in the London streets as our Polypody; for
Epping Forest — that delightful strip of green-
wood — furnishes the plant in thousands. In
beautiful Devonshire it grows not only on garden
walls, but on the housetops, under cottage eaves,
and indeed almost everywhere ; and in cultivation
it will smile refreshingly on your efforts to pre-
serve it. It is, finally, though plentiful, not
common ; and though simple, it is beautiful.

291

THE FERN PAKAD1SE.

2.

THE MOUNTAIN POLYPODY.

Po ly podium p hegoptcrii* .

PLATE 2, FIG. 2.

GENTLE member— soft and graceful—
of the charming family of Polypodies,
is the Beech or Mountain Fern. Not
possessed of the astonishing vigour of its relative
Vulgar e^ it quails before the cutting autumnal
winds ; and bending to the cold, becomes dormant
during the winter, but reappears with dewy grace
when beautiful May returns. In damp woods
and mountains moist grows the Mountain
Polypody. A slender rhizoma it has, which
creeps extensively, producing black fibrous roots.
From the upper surface of its creeping rhizomas
start its fronds, growing from a height of
six inches to more than eighteen. There is a
great length of stem in this beautiful Fern, the
stem being sometimes twice as long as the leafy
portion of the frond, the shape of which is

292

THE POLYPODIES.

triangular. The stem is exceedingly brittle and
herbaceous, and its lower portion is covered with
light scales. The leafy part of the frond is in
colour a light delicate green, and it has a pecu-
liarly downy appearance. On each side of the
rachis is a row of leaflets, shortening as they
near the point of the frond. These leaflets are
narrow and tapering, terminating in a point, and
the lowest and longest pair stand on the rachis
or midrib of the frond, quite distinct from the
others ; but those on the upper portion of the
frond are connected by a sort of leafy wing, which
runs on each side of the rachis; and in this way
the leaflets become gradually merged, until t«he
frond ends in a serrated apex. One peculiarity
about this Fern must be noted. The lowest, and
also the longest, pair of leaflets are turned down-
wards, their points being directed from the rachis
obliquely towards the ground, giving a curious
appearance to the frond. Along the entire length
of each leaflet, under a sort of marginal arrange-
ment, lie the spore-cases, in little, round, unpro-
tected clusters. The leaflets themselves are deeply
notched or cleft, those on the lowest part of the

293

THE FERN PARADISE.

rachis being each divided almost down to its mid-
vein. But the notches on those leaflets which are
higher up on the frond are not so deeply cleft.

The habitats of the Mountain Polypody are
necessarily moist, the plant mostly delighting in
an excess of moisture. Hence it will be found
growing oftentimes immediately contiguous to
waterfalls, because there the atmosphere is per-
petually loaded with moist exhalations. It is not
rare, except in Ireland, although in Great Britain
it is found more abundantly in the northern than
in the southern counties. It occurs in Ireland,
but it is sparsely distributed throughout that
country. In Scotland, and in both North and
South "Wales, it is to be found.

The Mountain Polypody is essentially a shady
Fern ; for, less hardy than Polypodium vulgar e, it
will not bear so well the sunshine. It will grow
readily, however, wherever you place it, if in a
moist and shady nook, whether on the open
rockery, indoors in pots, or under glass. It
must have a soil very similar to that in which the
Common Polypody delights. But with the leaf-
mould some peat may be mixed with advantage,

294

THE POLYPODIES.

together with sand. Indeed, all soil for Ferns
needs an admixture of sand to keep the com-
position sufficiently light and porous. Peat is
never found in the situations chosen by the
Common Polypody; but the Beech Fern, growing
at lower elevations, conies within the range of
peat. Hence the desirability of an admixture of
peat in the compost used to grow this Fern in
cultivation. But leaf-mould is the chief vitalizing
element in its errowth.

3.

THE THE RE-BRANCHED POLYPODY.

Polypodium dry op teris .

PLATE 2, FIG. 3.

[HE charming colour of the Three-
branched Polypody, or, as it is also
called, the Oak Fern, is its most marked
characteristic — a kind of light golden-green that
is most refreshing to look upon, and is of a tint

295

THE FERN PARADISE.

that is most exquisitely delicate and beautiful.
The pretty little Fern is in general very abundant
in the localities where it is found ; but these are
chiefly away from the southern counties of Eng-
land. In the north-western counties, in Wales,
and also in Scotland, it is plentifully distributed.
In Ireland it is rare. It is found in very much
the same situations as the Mountain Polypody;
and it delights in the same kind of soil, but it
does not need quite the same amount of moisture
which is demanded by Polypodium plwgopteris.
Like all the Polypodies, except Alpestre, it has a
creeping rhizoma. In fact, it is a wonderful
traveller; and, in cultivation, is often found to
come up in places where it is not expected, so
extensively does it creep. From the under sur-
face of the rhizoma, or creeping root-stock, pro-
ceed its fibrous roots ; and these oftentimes, when
the Fern is growing on a spongy bed of leaf-
mould, become densely matted. From all parts
of its travelling rhizoma start the pretty and
delicate fronds; sometimes in such profusion as
to give to them the appearance of a miniature
forest of beautiful green. The average height to

296

THE POLYPODIES.

which the fronds grow is about six inches. But
luxuriant specimens growing under favourable
conditions attain several inches more than that.
Most delicate and fragile are the frond-stems,,
which are generally as long again as the leafy
portion of the frond.

The three-branched habit of this Fern, which is
so distinctly characteristic of it, is indicated in
the incipient stage of the frond's growth; for
each branch is then rolled up in a little ball. At
this stage, therefore, there is the curious appear-
ance of the stipes with three wire-like branches
at its top, having three little green balls at their
tips. When the three little balls have become
fully unfolded, the entire frond is broadly trian-
gular in shape. The branch in the centre of the
three is in a line with the continuation of the
main stem ; and at right angles with this branch
are the two lateral ones : there being a clear
space of stem between the point, where, a,t the
top of the stipes, the three branches unite, and
the commencement of the leafy portion of each
branch. The largest of the three branches is the
central or uppermost one. Each branch of the

297

THE FEEN PARADISE.

Oak Fern is triangular in shape, and consists of
pairs of leaflets, which at the base of the branch
are connected with it by a short, but distinct
stalk. The lowest and the longest of these
leaflets are again divided, towards their apex,
however, the divisions becoming less deep. The
other leaflets on the branch become shorter and
shorter, and are simply notched near its top. On
the back of the frond are borne the little round,
golden patches of seed-cases.

The Oak Fern is a charming plant for cultiva-
tion. If planted on rock-work and sheltered from
the sunshine it will grow luxuriantly. Indoors
also its cultivation may be successfully pursued.
It is the queen of the Polypodies.

298

THE POLYPODIES,

4.

THE LIMESTONE POLYPODY.

Polypodium calcareum.

PLATE 2, FIG. 4.

JALLER, darker in line, and hardier than
its relative the Oak Fern, is the Lime-
stone Polypody. From a height of six
inches to a foot, and sometimes more, ifc grows,
generally preferring a limestone soil ; and hence
its name. The frond differs from that of the Oak
Fern in not having the same arrangement of three
distinct branches. Its colour, too, is verv dis-
tinct, being a dark green, having, as we venture
to think, a decidedly bluish tinge. The stem is
usually about the same length as the leafy por-
tion of the frond. The shape of the latter is
triangular. The pair of branches at its base are
considerably larger than the pair above it. The
four branches are attached to the rachis, each by
a short stem. But the branches — or rather they
should be termed in this case the leaflets — above

299

THE FERN PARADISE.

the two lowest pairs on the frond are closely
attached to the rachis without the intervention of
any stalk, and they gradually diminish in length,
and finally blend into the point of the frond.
Placed on opposite sides of the stem, on the
two lowest pairs of branches, are pairs of leaflets ;
the largest of which — those nearest the com-
mencement of the rachis — being quite separated
from the pairs next them, and themselves
slightly notched or serrated. The succeeding
pairs of leaflets are less and less notched, and less
separated from the outer pairs, until they finally
blend in the point of the branch in the same way
as the branches blend at the point of the frond.
The same gradual process is observable in the
upper branches or leaflets of the frond, the lobes
on the lowest of these branches being divided
down to the midrib at the base of the branch,
and less divided towards its point. The fourth
pair of branches or leaflets from the commence-
ment of the rachis is deeply notched only : the
next pair above less notched and less distinct, and
so on until, as before explained, they all blend in
a point.

300

THE POLYPODIES.

The Limestone Polypody lias not a wide distri-
bution. It occurs in localities in the north of
England, and is found in some parts of the West
and in Wales. But from Scotland and Ireland
it is almost entirely absent. It is, however, not
an uncommon Fern in the limestone districts
where it grows.

It is very much hardier in its constitution than
the Oak Fern, and will sometimes thrive well
when placed on the sunny or exposed part of a
rockery, or in the most sunny part of a green-
house. The soil which suits the other Polypodies
will suit Polypodium calcareum. But from its
fondness for limestone it will be supposed that the
presence of limestone in the soil is desirable. In
cultivation, therefore, small pieces of limestone
should be mixed with the soil in which it is
grown. Like all the Polypodies it has a creeping
rhizoma, which travels half under the surface of
the ground, its matted fibrous roots finding their
way into the lower depths of the soil in which it
grows, whilst from its upper surface grow the
clusters of dark bluish-green fronds.

301

THE FERN PAKAUISE.

5.

THE ALPINE POLYPODY.

Poly podium alpestre.

PLATE 2, FJG. 5.

(ROM its general resemblance to the Lady
Fern, the Alpine Polypody was for
many years mistaken for that species.
Even now some botanists think it should take
rank as a variety of Athyrium filix-fcemina. But
by almost general consent it is allowed to be a
Polypody, although it is not ' many-footed ' in
the sense in which the other Polypodies are. The
Lady Fern has very distinct covers to its clusters
of spore cases ; and Poly podium alpestre has none,
and consequently it bears what we have already
explained is the distinguishing mark of the Polv-
pody group. The fronds spring from a short and
erect root-stock, and, according to the circum-
stances of their growth, reach a length which
varies from one foot to three and a half. They
are lance-shaped — somewhat broadly so — tapering

302

THE POLYPODIES.

from the centre towards their apices and down-
wards also to their bases, though not to the same
extent. The stipes is shorter than the leafy por-
tion of the frond. The latter consists of branches,
or leaflets, ranged in opposite pairs, or in alterna-
tion along the rachis, tapering to their apices, and
divided into blunt-pointed and deeply-notched
or saw-edged pinnules; being, of course, more
divided in luxuriant specimens than in smaller
ones. The seed-cases are borne on the backs of
the lobes, near the margins of the latter.

The Alpine Polypody is found only in the
north of Scotland, inhabiting rocky places in
mountainous situations. It will readily grow
under cultivation, given a mixture of peat and
loam, good drainage for its roots, and plenty of
moisture.

303

'THE FKRN- PARADISE.'

THE SHIELD FERNS.

Pl.ATF. 3.

l. Hard Prickly Shield Fern,— 2, Soft Prickly Shield Fern. -3. Holly Fern,

CHAPTER VII.

THE SHIELD FERNS.

PLATE 3.

UR British group of Shield Ferns is a
small one, including — 1. The Hard
Prickly Shield Fern ( Polystichum acu-
leatum). 2. The Soft Prickly Shield
Fern (Polystichum angulare) : and 3. The Holly
Fern (Polystichum loncliitis). The common name
given to the group has been suggested by the
shield-shaped scale covers which protect the
roundish heaps of seed-cases borne on the backs
of the fronds.

307

THE FERN PARADISE.

1.

THE HARD PRICKLY SHIELD FERN.

Polystichuin aculeatum.

PLATE 3, Fia. 1.

JHE Hard, or Common Prickly Shield
Fern, is one of the largest and most
robust of our native Ferns, oftentimes
reaching a height of three or four feet. Ever-
green in character, its fronds survive the frosts of
winter. It has a big root- stock, from the under
surface of which proceeds a dense mass of long,
tough, fibrous roots. From its vigorous tufted
crown this beautiful Fern sends up a circle of
fronds, which grow in shuttlecock fashion, their
tips gracefully bending outwards. The stem or
stipes of the Hard Prickly Shield Fern is some-
what short, but stiff and rigid, and covered with
scales. The general outline of the frond is lance-
shaped; broadest in the centre, tapering some-
what towards the base, and tapering upwards to
the apex. It is divided into narrow tapering

308

THE SHIELD KEENS.

branches alternately placed along and on each
side of the mid-stem or rachis. These branches
are again divided into leaflets, each leaflet being
wing- shaped and attached to the mid-stem of
the branch by a short but distinct stalk. The
arrangement of these leaflets is as follows. The
mid-stems of the branches — which, as before
stated, run at intervals along each side of the
rachis — are placed at right angles with the latter.
On these branch mid- stems are arranged in the
most beautiful order, wing-shaped leaflets — one
row above and one row underneath the stem. The
first leaflet next the rachis, on the upper part
of each stem, is larger than the others, but
with this exception all the leaflets gradually
become diminished in size as they run from the
rachis towards the point of each branch. This
gradation of leaflets over and under the stem
goes on until the branch ends in a point. Each
leaflet is sharply spiked or toothed, and hence the
prickly appearance of this Fern. The fronds are
dark green in colour and rigid in texture. When
the Hard Prickly Shield Fern has reached matu-
rity in September, the backs of all its leaflets,

309

THE FEEN PARADISE.

in the upper portion of the frond, are densely
covered with rich-brown clusters of seed-cases.

The Hard Prickly Shield Fern is very widely
and plentifully distributed throughout the United
Kingdom, growing chiefly in shady hedge-banks
and on tree- covered hilly slopes. Few of our
Ferns are so robust as this species, and few can
bear the sunlight better. But, although hardy in
the extreme, it prefers — like all Ferns — shade and
moisture, and grows more luxuriantly under con-
ditions where these are secured than when exposed
to the sunlight or subjected to the open force
of the winds. We found a grand specimen of
Polystichum aculeatum on a steep slope in the
woods surrounding Berry Pomeroy Castle in
South Devon. It was nearly four feet long; and
its rigid, robust, prickly-looking, dark shining-
green fronds made it a striking object.

In the garden, on the rockery, or in the house,
this Fern will grow magnificently. It will thrive
even in common garden soil ; but it will succeed
best in true Fern soil — a peaty, loamy, sandy
mixture.

310

THE SHIELD FERNS.

2.

THE SOFT PRICKLY SHIELD PERN.
Polystichum angular e.

PLATE 3, FIG. 2.

|OTHINGr puzzled us more in our earlier
Fern-hunting excursions than the dis-
tinction between the Hard and Soft
Prickly Shield Ferns. The two Ferns are usually
considered as distinct species, although some
botanists rank them both as one species under
the name of Polystichum acuhatum — regarding
Angulare merely as a variety. We have chosen
to consider them as distinct species, and shall
now indicate the points of difference which we
have noted, showing at the same time up to what
point the two Ferns are like each other. In
being generally distributed throughout the United
Kingdom the one resembles the other. Both
ordinarily grow in the same situations, and the
fronds of Angulare, like those of Aculeatum, are
lance- shaped, and grow oftentimes to a length

THE miN PARADISE.

of four or five feet under favourable circum-
stances. In the Soft as well as the Hard
Prickly Shield Fern, the branches of the frond
are alternately placed along the rachis. The
leaflets, too, are cut and stalked very much in the
same manner in both Ferns, and, in both, are of a
wing-shaped form. In both, also, the branches of
the frond are narrow and taper to a point.

But now for the distinctions we have noted. In
a finely grown specimen of Angular e, the character
which gives appropriateness to the designation of
this Fern is immediately recognized, The hard,
rigid appearance of Aculeatum is absent. Angu-
lar e is, in fact, much less stiff in. its mode of
growth, and looks much more graceful and droop-
ing. Its stipes is more densely covered with rust-
coloured scales than is the case with Aculeatum,
and these rust-coloured scales are scattered, also,
over the whole of the back of the frond, being
very prominently displayed on the rachis, and on
the midribs of the branches. There is conse-
quently, a rich reddish tinge on the backs of the
fronds, and, indeed, in a great measure on both
sides of the fronds of Angular e. The green

12

THE SHIELD FERNS.

colour of the leaflets in Angular 'e is also in general
much lighter — oftentimes, in fact, a yellowish or
golden kind of green — than is the case with.
Aculeatum. More than this, the bristles on the
points of the leaflets are not so sharp-set or so
prominent in Angulare as in Aculeatum. The
fronds of the Soft Prickly Shield Fern are, too,
more closely set together around the crown, more
regular in their arrangement, and more gracefully
and compactly placed shuttlecock fashion. So
closely, indeed, are the frond-stems set together,
and so densely clothed with rust-coloured scales,
that, in well-grown specimens, they form quite
a cup or hollow, and give the appearance of a cir-
cular Avail rising on the crown of the plant, and
completely clothed with a beautiful drapery of
reddish scales.

Under cultivation the same conditions will apply
to Angulare as those which apply to Aculeatum.
The latter, however, appears more hardy and
better able to withstand the frosts, doubtless on
account of the more evergreen, rigid, and vigorous
character of its fronds. Both Ferns are beautiful;
but there is a soft beauty and a gracefulness of

THE FERN PARADISE.

aspect about the Soft Prickly Shield Fern scarcely
possessed in the same degree by its more robust
relative, Aculeatum.

3.

THE HOLLY FERN.

Pnlystichuin lonchitis.

PLATE 3, FIG. 3.

jIFFERINGr in many essential points from
the other species of Polystichum, the
Holly Fern has, nevertheless, a clearly
defined relationship to Aculeatum and Ancjulare.
It is, indeed, a singular-looking yet withal a beau-
tiful Fern ; and its leaflets possess a sufficiently
near resemblance to the leaves of a holly-bush to
warrant the name which it bears. Sometimes this
Fern grows to a height of only six inches or
so. At other times it may be found exceedingly
vigorous, growing as long as eighteen inches, and
under such circumstances very stiff and erect in

THE SHIELD FERNS.

habit. It is a somewhat rare plant, but is found
in certain localities in Scotland — some of the
mountainous districts — and in Ireland, being in
these countries more plentiful than in England
and "Wales. In England its distribution is con-
fined to the northern counties.

A tufted root-stock; a short scaly stem; a
frond narrowly lanced- shaped, consisting of two
rows of wing-shaped serrated leaflets, diminishing
in size by gradation towards the tip of the frond .
Such is the Holly Fern. Its peculiarity is that it
has no branches like the other two species of its
kind, Aculeatum and Angular e ; but one simple
rachis clothed on each side with a row of spiny
leaflets. In fact, it has a sort of general resem-
blance to a single branch of Polystichum aculeatum.
One peculiarity about the leaflets of this Fern
must be noticed. The upper portion of each one
next the rachis projects a little over the leaflet
immediately above it. The leaflets are attached
to the rachis by a narrow point ; but without the
intervention of a stalk.

The fronds of the Holly Fern are robust and
evergreen in character — dark green in colour —

THE FERN PARADISE.

rigid, and prickly-looking. They withstand the
frost, and often remain until the new spring
fronds are produced. This species may be grown
in the Fern-garden, or in the house ; and the soil
it needs should be composed of -light loam, peat,
and sand. It is said to be difficult to cultivate,
especially in the west of England ; but we have
seen it successfully grown there, in the open
garden. It is an exceedingly handsome Fern,
and is well worthy of the utmost care which can
be bestowed upon it.

316

THE FF.RN PARADISF.'

THE BLADDER FERNS.

Pi ATE 4.

i. Brittle Bladder Fern, — 2. Alpine Bladder Fern, — 3. fountain Bladder Fern,

CHAPTER VIII.

THE BLADDER FERNS.
PLATE 4.

HREE little Ferns only are comprised
in this group : namely, — 1. The

Brittle Bladder Fern (Gystopteris
frag His). 2. The Alpine Bladder
Fern (Gystopteris regia) : and 3. The Mountain
Bladder Fern (Gystopteris montana). The common
or popular name given to the delicate and beautiful
Ferns included under the genus Gystopteris, has
been suggested, as in the case of the Shield Ferns,
by the shape of the spore-case covers. In this
group these covers — the indusia as botanists call
them — are raised somewhat in the form of hoods
or bladders : and hence, as we have seen, the
popular designation of the group.

THE FERN PARADISE.

L

THE BEITTLE BLADDER FERN.

Cystopteris fmgilis.

PLATE 4, FIG. 1.

1HE Fragile or Brittle Bladder Fern is or-
dinarily seen about six inches in height;
but it sometimes grows to the height of
a foot or more. The frond-stem is tender, herba-
ceous, and very brittle, having just a few light-
coloured scales at its base. The fronds grow from
a tufted root-stock, and come up in clusters ; the
crown of the root-stock spreading to admit of this.
The shape of the frond is lance-like, slightly smaller
at the base than in the centre, and tapering gra-
dually to a point at the top. The lowest pair of
branches on the rachis is shorter than the pair
immediately above it ; but from that pair to the
point of the frond the successive pairs gradually
diminish in length. The pairs of branches on
each side of the frond are not placed exactly oppo-
site one another, but according to a somewhat

320

THE BLADDER FEKNS.

irregular arrangement. The branches themselves
are distinctly lance-shaped ; and on each side,
above and below them, is a row of leaflets, egg-
shaped in general outline, and notched or saw-
edged. On the backs of the fronds the little
bladder-like clusters of seeds are very plentiful and
frequently become confluent. Although somewhat
rare in Ireland — except in two or three localities in
that country — this Fern is nevertheless widely dis-
tributed throughout the rest of the United King-
dom ; being, indeed, in some places very abundant.
The delicate Brittle Bladder Fern is easily
grown. Give it leaf-mould, loam, peat, and sand,
shade, and an abundance of water, and whether —
with such soil and subject to such conditions — you
place it in a cool stony nook of your rockery, or
in pots, indoors, it will equally thrive. If you
grow it in pots, plant it amongst some stones, not
forgetting, however, to give it the appropriate soil.
The more nearly you can approach, in your treat-
ment of it, its natural conditions of growth, the
more certain is your prospect of successfully culti-
vating it.

321

THE FERN PARADISE.

2.

THE ALPINE BLADDER FERN.

Oystopteris regia.

PLATE 4, FIG. 2.

JHIS is an exceedingly rare species of the
British Ferns. Similar in some respects
to the Brittle Bladder Fern, it differs
from the latter chiefly in length, being ordinarily
smaller, seldom growing to a height of more than
ten inches ; but sometimes becoming a little
taller. It has a short brittle stem, somewhat
scaly at the part nearest the ground. In this
species the branches of the frond, although similar
to those of Fragilis, are placed more directly
opposite each other. The stipes is slightly
shorter than in Fragilis : the frond-branches
are also slightly shorter, corresponding with the
smaller size of the plant, and instead of being
ordinarily lance-shaped, the general form of the
branches may be called either bluntish lance-shaped,
or egg-shaped. In the same way the leaflets on
the branches are also somewhat egg-shaped; but

322

BLADDER FERNS.

they are much more deeply cleft or serrated than
is the case with the leaflets in Fragilis ; so deeply
cleft, indeed, sometimes, that the leaflets are
divided into lobes or divisions.

The Alpine Bladder Fern is an exquisitely
beautiful little plant. It will grow under cultiva-
tion as readily as Cystopteris fragilis, and may be
planted either in the open air, on the Fern rockery
in a cool shady spot, in pots in the house, or under
the protection of a covering- of glass. For soil the
lightest composition must be made. Peat, silver-
sand, light friable loam, and leaf-mould, in equal
proportions. If planted in a pot there should be
in the bottom of the pot a thick stratum of broken
flower-pot or soft broken bricks, together with
some pieces of charcoal, — the charcoal being intro-
duced to keep from the roots of the plant the
stagnation which might arise from the filtration
of the water through the drainage of broken
flower-pot or bricks. Like Cystopteris fragilis,
our little Cystopteris regia has a tufted root-stock,
from which spring clusters of beautiful, delicate,
herbaceous, charmingly green fronds.

L 2

323

THE FERN PARADISE.

3.

THE MOUNTAIN BLADDER FERN.

Cystopteris montana.

PLATE 4, FIG. 3.

of the very rarest of our rarer native
species is the Mountain Bladder Fern
found only in one or two localities in
the Highlands of Scotland. It has a creeping
root, which finds its way underneath the moss and
other vegetation, amongst which the charming
little plant grows. Its fronds are remarkably dis-
tinct from those of the other species of Bladder
Ferns which occur in this country. The stipes is
often twice the length of the leafy portion of the
frond. The entire length of the latter is, however,
rarely found to be more than some eight inches.
The frond, from the commencement of the rachis,
has a very distinct three-branched appearance, from
the circumstance of the lowest pair of branches —
extending horizontally or obliquely to right and to
left — being much larger and longer than the

324

THE BLADDER FERXS.

higher ones. These lowest branches are again
divided, each having above and below its mid-stem
a row of leaflets. But the upper row of leaflets,
near the main rachis, are much shorter than the
lower row, and are deeply cleft or serrated. The
two leaflets of the lower rows nearest the main
rachis are so much developed, that at and near
their base they are again divided into lobes, which
in their turn are serrated. Curiously enough,
however, the disproportion between the size of the
leaflets on the upper and lower sides diminishes
towards the point of the branch, and the process
of division into lobes is also reduced gradually, so
that near the tips of the branch the opposite leaflets
are equal in size, and being then much smaller
than those at the base of the branch, are not again
divided into lobes, but are simply jagged or
serrated at their edges. Leaving now the lowest
pair of branches on the frond, and coming to those
immediately above them, we find that this pair,
besides being much smaller, has not the same
disproportion between the upper and lower leaflets,
although those of the upper row are somewhat
shorter than those of the lower one. On this

THE FERN PARADISE.

second pair of branches the leaflets near the main
rachis are more deeply cleft than those away from
it towards the point of the branch. The same
process of gradual diminntion goes on towards the
highest point of the frond, branches becoming
shorter and less divided until they merge into
leaflets, which in their turn become shorter, smaller,
and less cleft or serrated, until they merge in the
extreme tip of the frond itself. The general shape
of the frond, including the whole of its leafy por-
tion, is triangular ; each of the lowest pair of
branches is also triangular ; the other branches
are first lance-shaped, and as they merge into
leaflets, these become somewhat egg-shaped. The
distinct lobes of the leaflets, near the main rachis
on the lower part of the first pair of branches, are
also somewhat egg-shaped.

The same conditions of soil, moisture, and situa-
tion required by Gijstopteris regia will avail for
the successful culture of the Mountain Bladder
Fern. Beautiful and delicate in the extreme, it
will well repay all the care and attention which
may be lavished upon it. If it could be planted
near a fountain, where by some arrangement water

326

THE ULADDELt FERXS.

could be made to trickle over its roots, or the
fountain spray could envelope the whole plant,
then the natural conditions under which it grows
most luxuriantly would be very nearly supplied,
and the growth of this exquisite Fern would be all
that the Fern cultivator could wish.

327

THK FKRN PARADI^F.'

THE WOODSIAS.

Pr.ATE 5.

i. Oblong Woodsia. — 2, Alpine Woodsia,

CHAPTER IX.

THE WOODSIAS.

PLATE 5.

HE British Woodsias comprise a
small group of two Ferns only.
These are— 1. The Oblong Woodsia
(Woodsia ilvensis) : and 2. The
Alpine Woodsia (Woodsia alpina). The common
name of these beautiful little Ferns has no espe-
cial significance, being only commemorative of
Joseph Woods, a well-known botanist. It has,
however, a sylvan ring about it, and is eupho-
nious ; and rare as beautiful, and beautiful as rare,
are the Woodsias. Tiny plants are they, seldom
reaching a greater length — from crown of root to
tip of frond — -than four or five inches.

33i

THE FERN PARADISE,

1.

THE OBLONG WOOD SI A.

Woodsia ilvensis.
PLATE 5, FIG. 1.

TUFTED caudex, or root-stock, from
which grow up in thick clusters the
delicate fronds. These have scaly
stems, are narrowly oblong, and somewhat
blunt-pointed, widest in the centre, and gra-
dually shortening towards the base as well as
towards the apex. On each side of the rachis is
a row of leaflets, somewhat egg-shaped, attached
to the rachis somewhat irregularly; at first in
opposite pairs, but ultimately, towards the point
of the frond, in alternation. These leaflets
are deeply cleft or lobed in the lowest part
of the frond, the divisions diminishing in depth
as the leaflets, nearing the point of the frond,
become smaller and smaller. Finally the leaflets
merge in the frond-tip, which is simply notched.
The backs of the fronds are clothed to a greater

332

THE WOODSIAS.

or less extent with, minute scales and shining
hairs or bristles. Amongst these hide the spores.

In both of our species of Woodsia the stipes is
jointed at a distance of little more than half an
inch from the crown of the root-stock. When on
the approach of winter the fronds fall off and
decay, their separation from the plant takes place,
not close to the crown, but at the spot where the
joint already mentioned is placed ; and as the
stems below the joint stand firm, a cluster of little
frondless stems remains for some time attached
to the crown.

The Oblong Woodsia is only to be found in one
or two localities in Scotland, and in the north of
England, and in one or two parts of North
Wales. No specimen has been seen growing wild
anywhere in Ireland.

In pots, in cool nooks of the open-air rockery,
or under a covering of glass, this beautiful and
delicate little Fern may be grown. Complete
shade, moisture pure and percolating, must be
supplied. Light, sandy peat and loamy soil
must be used, and the Fern planted carefully
amongst little blocks of stone.

333

THE FERN PAEADISE.

2.

THE ALPINE WOODSIA.

Woodsia alpina.

PLATE 5, FJG. 2.

\LPINA is a sort of diminutive likeness of
Ilvensis. Narrow, blunt-pointed fronds,
shorter and narrower than those of
Ilvensis. From a tufted crown these little fronds
are thrown up, jointed just a little more than
half an inch from the ground. The leaflets along
the rachis are somewhat shorter and blunter than
those of Ilvensis, are not so much notched, and
are placed on each side in alternation. But they
get smaller towards the top of the frond, by a
somewhat slow process of gradation, finally blend-
ing, however, at its extreme point. The scales
and shining hairs at the backs of the leaflets are
not quite so thickly scattered as in the case of
the Oblong Woodsia. But the spore clusters are
often crowded.

Both the Oblong and the Alpine Woodsia grow

334

THE WOODSIAS.

on damp rocks, oftentimes inaccessible. In culti-
vation, the conditions under which they grow in a
wild state must not be forgotten. They should,
therefore, whether planted in the cool open
rockery, in a case, or in pots, be planted amongst
blocks of stone, as we have recommended in the
case of Ilvensis.

The Alpine Woodsia is exceedingly rare. It
appears to occur in the same districts as those of
its Oblong relative. But it has been suggested
that this Fern, like many others which are partial
to almost inaccessible habitats, may not, perhaps >
be so rare as is generally supposed.

335

THE FERN PARADISE.

THE BUCKLER FERNS.

PLATE 6.

j, Male Fern. — 2. Broad Buckler Fern. — 3. Hay-scented Buckler Fern. — 4. Prickly-toothed Buckler
Fern.— 5. Mountain Buckler Fern,— 6, Marsh Buckler Fern,

CHAPTER X.

THE BDCKLER FEENS.
PLATE 6.

Buckler Fern group includes
some of the finest of our native
species; namely: 1. The Male Fern
(Lastrea filix-mas). 2. The Broad
Buckler Fern (Lastrea dilatata). 3. The Hay-
scented Buckler Fern (Lastrea recurva). 4. The
Prickly-toothed Buckler Fern (Lastrea spinulosa).
5. The Mountain Buckler Fern (Lastrea montana) :
and 6. The Marsh Buckler Fern (Lastrea thely-
pteris). The common name of Buckler Fern is
no doubt somewhat fanciful, having probably been
suggested by the peculiar shape of the scale cover-
ings of the little clusters of spore-cases attached
to the backs of the fronds.

339

THE FERN PARADISE.

1.

THE MALE FERN.

Las Ire a filix-mas.

PLATE 6, FIG. 1.

E of the most plentiful and widely-
distributed of the Buckler Ferns is the
Male Fern, also called the Common
Buckler Fern. The Male Fern derives its
designation from its extremely vigorous and
robust manner of growth. The texture of its
dark green fronds has a somewhat more rigid
appearance than that of mosfc Ferns. It grows in
woods and on hedge-banks, on hill-sides and by
the water's edge, — almost everywhere in fact;
now exposed in dry situations to the full power
of the sun, and now hidden away in almost
impenetrable shade. The Male Fern reaches an
average height of between two and three feet;
but, under favourable circumstances, it sometimes
grows to a height of four feet. Then, indeed, it
is a really beautiful object : its fronds thrown up

340

THE BUCKLER FERNS.

shuttlecock fashion around its fine, tufted crown,
and so neatly and closely arranged as to present
inside a circular wall densely clothed with scales,
and resembling very much in that respect the
appearance presented by the Soft Prickly Shield
Fern. But the tips of the fronds of the Male
Fern have not the same drooping habit as Poly-
sticJmm angular e, being on the contrary thrown
up, as it were, defiantly. Perched on the open
side of a high embankment, a grand specimen
of the Male Fern, fully developed, with all its
fronds mature, presents a peculiarly striking
appearance.

The frond of the Male Fern is lance- shaped —
broadly so — tapering up and down ; towards its
point, and towards its base. It is, therefore,
broadest at its centre. The basal tapering is not
carried to a point as at the top of the frond ; but
merely admits of the lowest leaflets being some-
what shorter than those in the centre. The stem,
or stipes, is perhaps about one quarter the length
of the leafy portion of the frond, and is covered
thickly with chaffy scales. These scales are also
carried along the rachis or mid-stem of the frond.

34i

THE FERN PARADISE.

The leaflets arranged in alternation on each side
of the rachis — longest in the middle of the rachist
shorter at the base, and shortest at the top — are
narrow and tapering, and are symmetrically
divided into oblong blunt-pointed lobes ; some of
them — the largest ones, and those nearest the
rachis in the lower part of the frond — being quite
separate from each other, — that is to say, divided
quite down to the mid-stem of the leaflets ; the
others being attached to those next to them by a
leafy wing, and those nearest the tips of the
leaflets being almost merged into each other. The
lobes are broadest at the base, with rounded blunt
points. There is a smooth, shiny, rigid, leathery
appearance about the upper surface of the lobes,
the backs of which have a duller, rougher surface.
The spores are produced on the backs of the
leaflets, usually in the upper portion of the frond ;
and each leaflet is thickly studded with the little
kidney-shaped clusters of the cases which contain
them. In the early summer, and until each frond
has reached its full development, the scale cover-
ings of these clusters are green ; but they soon
turn to a rich dark reddish-brown colour, and

342

TilE BUCK LEU FERNS.

add to the strikingly ornamental appearance of
the frond.

The vigour and hardiness of the Male Fern are
so great, that in sheltered situations the fronds
will oftentimes withstand the winter, remaining
fresh and green throughout, and retaining their
verdancy until the fresher green of the new spring
fronds diminishes their lustre by comparison.

The root-stock of the Male Fern often becomes
very much elongated, and resting horizontally on
the hedge-bank or other sloping situation on
which it may be placed, sends out its tuft of
fronds from one end, whilst the other is plunged
in the soil, from whence its matted, wiry, fibrous
rootlets gather the essential moisture.

No Fern can be more easily cultivated than
Lastreafilix-mas. Its hardy character renders it
especially suited to be an inhabitant of the open-
air rockery, where it will brave the frosts and
snows of winter. It can stand sunshine; but,
like the more delicate of its kind, it most loves
the shade. Peat, rich loam, and sand, with leaf-
mould, should compose the soil in which it is
grown, whether in the garden or in the house.

343

THE FERN PARADISE.

Wherever this vigorous and beautiful Fern grows,
it will impart a delightful and exhilarating fresh-
ness to its surroundings.

2.

THE BROAD BUCKLER FERN.

Lastrea dilatata.
PLATE 6, Fia. 2.

jBOUT the fronds of this really hand-
some Fern there is a peculiarly crisped,
curled appearance, which renders it
very easily recognizable. Lastrea dilatata is the
finest of the Lastreas. The stems of the fronds
are often purple-hued, and they are covered with
dark brown scales. At their lowest part they are
thicker than they are above. The leafy portion
of the frond is, in its general outline, lance-shaped
— broadest at the base, and tapering upwards. On
each side of the mid-stem, or rachis, are branches
placed opposite each other, or nearly so, in pairs,

344

THE BUCKLER FEIittS.

and becoming shorter and shorter as they near
the top of the frond, in which they are finally
merged. The lower pairs of branches, besides
being larger than those above them, are also
broader. The branches are again divided into
leaflets, and these in their turn are either again
divided or deeply cleft, and the lobes or smaller
divisions, whether of branches or leaflets, are
serrated. One peculiarity must be noted. The
leaflets on the lower side of the mid- stem of the
branches are longer than those on the upper
side ; but this disparity gradually decreases
towards the top of the frond. It is, however,
remarkably prominent on the lowest pair of
branches, and the difference between the upper
and lower leaflets is most marked in the case of
the four immediately next the rachis on the
loAvest pair of branches. Even on these branches
the difference between upper and lower leaflets
gradually decreases towards the point of each
branch, near which they are, both above and
below, almost the same in size.

On every part of the frond the lobes are curled
backwards, — sometimes almost doubled back ; and

345

THE FERN PARADISE.

this arrangement gives a singularly graceful and
beautiful appearance to the fronds. The whole
plant, too, has a broad, arching, drooping habit,
and when it has reached its highest state of de-
velopment, there is something singularly and
strikingly elegant in its appearance.

The Broad Buckler Fern is not, perhaps, quite
so plentiful as the more erect and robust-looking
Male Fern; but it is very abundant, and is pretty
widely distributed throughout Great Britain. It
grows in woods, shady lanes, and sheltered hedge-
banks, and also on the banks of streams and
rivers, sometimes to a height of as much as five
feet. Being as hardy as it is elegant, it is ad-
mirably adapted for the open rockery, if kept in a
cool and shady corner. It should have plenty of
room to display the graceful, arching, spreading
habit of its fronds. For soil, sandy loam, peat, and
leaf -mould. But although it is especially adapted
for the garden rockery, it will grow readily indoors,
either in the green-house or in pots. Abundant
moisture and shade, however, are essential to its
successful growth wherever it may be grown.

346

THE BUCKLER FERNS

3.

THE HAY-SCENTED BUCKLER FERN.

Lastrea recurva.

PLATE 6, FIG. 3.

JS its name indicates, the peculiar cha-
racteristic of this delicate and beautiful
Fern, is the exquisite scent which is
given forth from its fronds. Abundant in some
localities, especially in the west of England and
Ireland, it is rare in others. It is somewhat rare
in Scotland. In parts of Devonshire it is very
plentiful. Yet, sometimes a large district might
be searched for miles around without the search
resulting in the discovery of a single specimen.
It grows in damp woods and on shady hedge-
banks. We remember with pleasure an excursion
which we took from Totnes, in search of the
Hay-scented Fern, under the guidance of Charles
Hillman, of Torquay, a Fern Collector of rare
experience. The nearest habitat was five miles
distant from Totnes, and we wended our way up

347

THE FERX PABADISE.

hill and down dale, through five miles of ferny
lanes, until, arrived at the brow of a hill, we began
to descend to the lower ground along a narrow
road, shut in by high Fern-covered embankments,
which, with the trees which crowned their tops,
cast dark shadows on the narrow carriage-way.
We were close upon the habitat of the Fern we
were seeking ; but although carefully searching
the hedge-bank as we n eared the spot we could
not find a stray specimen. All at once, however,
our guide stopped, and pointing to the hedge-
bank on the right invited us to search. "We had
arrived within the charmed circle. The bank was
literally clothed with splendid specimens of Lastrea
recurva, their fronds revelling in the twilight of
the hedge, and their roots plunged into the rich
soft leaf-mould of the hedge.

The inexperienced Fern-hunter is very likely to
mistake small plants of the Broad Buckler Fern
for the Hay-scented Fern. But although there
is a general resemblance between the two, there
are peculiarities about the latter which render
it easily recognizable. The general form of the
frond, the form of the branches, and the peculiar

348

THE BQCKLEE FERNS.

elongation of the leaflets on the under part of the
mid-stem of the lower branches of the frond, are
characteristic of both Dilatata and Recurva. But
there is this marked distinction; that, whereas
the lobes of the leaflets in Dilatata are curled
or crisped backwards, as if more completely to
shelter or hide the spores, those of Recurva are on
the contrary bent somewhat in the opposite direc-
tion, or forward. The lobes in Recurva are, too,
of a more delicate texture than those of Dilatata,
and whilst the colour of the mature fronds of the
latter is dark green, those of the former are of a
lighter shade, with a kind of light-bluish tinge.
In Recurva, when the plant is mature in the
autumn, the whole under surface of the frond is
thickly studded with the seed-cases which con-
tain the spores. But the exquisite hay-scent of
Recurva at once decides the doubting Fern-hunter.
Take a mature or even a faded frond in the hand,
and crush it between the fingers, and the de-
lightful odour which will be instantly emitted will
quickly decide the species, if it is a frond of
Recurva that you hold !

The Hay-scented Buckler Fern attains an

349

THE FERN PARADISE.

average height of from eighteen inches to two
feet. Like all the Buckler Ferns it grows readily
under cultivation. But it must have abundant
moisture and complete shade, and sandy peat, loam,
and leaf-mould for soil. Then it may be grown
successfully in the open rockery, in the Fern case,
or in open pots in the house.

4.

THE RIGID BUCKLER FERN.
Lastrea rigida.

[HIS Fern is local in its distribution ; very
rare in Ireland, .and not found at all in
Scotland or Wales. But in some parts
of the north of England, especially in the moun-
tainous limestone districts, it is found in abun-
dance. It appears to prefer a limestone soil : and
in cultivation it is beneficial to water it with lime-
water. When growing wild it is usually found
from one to two feet high. Its fronds are some-

350

THE BUCKLER FERNS.

what narrow and triangular, with branches alter-
nately placed 011 each side of the rachis. The
branches are lance- shaped, having on each side,
over and under the stem, a row of leaflets, largest
next the rachis, and becoming shorter towards the
point of the branch. These leaflets are narrow
and blunt pointed, each one somewhat deeply
notched or toothed, being in this way divided into
segments, which are finely saw-edged.

The Rigid Buckler Fern is a very elegant plant,
and like the other Lastreas admirably adapted for
cultivation. In the sandy peat, loam, and leaf-
mould used for growing this beautiful Fern, some
pieces of limestone should be placed ; and it must
have an abundance of moisture.

THE FERN PARADISE.

5.

THE PRICKLY-TOOTHED BUCKLER FERN.

Lastrea spimilosa.

PLATE 6, FIG. 4.

[HERE is in this Fern a general resem-
blance to the Hay-scented Buckler Fern.
The fronds grow erect on somewhat thin
stems, which in length are about equal to the leafy
portion. The general shape of the frond is trian-
gular, the widest part being at the base, where
the branches are also broader as well as longer

o

than those higher up; and the same kind of
division of the leaflets of the branches is observable
as in the Broad Buckler Fern. The broadness of
the lowest pair of branches is occasioned by the
leaflets below the mid-stems of the branches being
considerably longer than those above; and this
inequality, as in the case of Lastrea dilatata,
diminishes towards the point of each branch, and
towards the apex of the frond. Indeed, the de-
scription of the cutting, indentation, and general

352

THE BUCKLER FEUNS.

arrangement of the leaflets and lobes, needs to be
very similar to that of Dilatata, the difference in
the case of Spinulosa being that the leaflets, in-
stead of being curled back, as in Dilatata, are
straight. The edges of the lobes, too, are spiny
and sharply serrated. The fronds do not attain
anything like the same length as those of Dilatata.
One peculiarity which will be easily noted about
Spinulosa is, that the tops of the incipient fronds,
in making their appearance just above ground,
are naked and green in colour, instead of being
covered with chaff-coloured scales, as in the case
of Dilatata.

The Prickly-toothed Buckler Fern grows in
boggy situations, delighting in an atmosphere of
moisture, and in a saturated soil. We found it in
Devonshire, in a bog which lay under a wood at
the bottom of a hill. There it was growing at the
feet of the mounds of moss surmounting the roots
of the sedge-grasses.

In cultivation it must have incessant moisture,
especially at its roots, where it should be sodden.
Peat and leaf-mould should compose the soil-
peat preponderating. It is a really beautiful Fern,

353

THE FERN PARADISE.

and will thrive in the open rockery, in the green-
house, or indoors, if grown under the conditions
which have been described.

6.

THE MOUNTAIN BUCKLER FERN.

Lastrea montana.

PLATE 6, Fm. 5.

JWO peculiarities, strongly marked, .dis-
tinguish this beautiful and symmetri-
cally-formed species from the rest of
the group amongst which it is ranked. Ordinarily,
when Ferns are bruised in the hand, a strong
starchy odour is emitted. It has been already
mentioned, however, that in the case of the Hay-
scented Buckler Fern, there is given out when the
fronds are bruised, an exquisite scent of hay.
When the Mountain Buckler Fern is crushed or
rubbed, a very strong balsamic odour is emitted;
and this is a characteristic which renders it easily

354

THE BUCKLER FERNS.

recognizable. There is further an unmistakable
mark of recognition in the form of its fronds.
About these there is a sort of general resemblance
to the Male Fern, except in one particular. In
the Male Fern the frond tapers to a point upwards ;
but not in the opposite direction, although the
branches at the base of the frond are usually
a little shorter than those in the centre. But the
branches of the frond in the Mountain Buckler
Fern taper downwards towards the base, almost
as much as they taper upwards ; the branches in
the lowest part being nothing more than the tiniest
leafy excrescences on each side of the rachis.
This continuation of the leafy portion of the frond
downwards necessarily leaves but a very short
stipes to the Mountain Buckler Fern ; and this short
stipes is covered with golden-coloured scales. On
the rachis of the frond in this Fern, the branches
are placed on each side in pairs. Each branch
has a row of lobes on its upper and under side,
€learly divided from each other, but not divided
quite down to the mid-stem of the branch. The
branches, which are narrowly lance-shaped, have
thus the appearance of being very deeply notched

355

THE FERN PARADISE.

or toothed — the points of the lobes being bluntish
or rounded — and their bases being run to-
gether give the appearance of a leafy wing on each
side of the mid-stem of the branch. Towards the
point of the frond the branches dimmish in length,
and become less in breadth, the lobes becoming
gradually less and less deeply cut in, until they are
finally mere serratures. These, in turn, disappear
as the branches merge in the point of the frond,
which then itself becomes notched, finally ending
in a point. A perfectly grown specimen of the
Mountain Buckler Fern has an extremely elegant
aspect. It is — although in some of its features
like the Male Fern — more delicate in its general
appearance than that species : there is a more
delicate tint of a lighter, more golden green about
its fronds, and the more regular arrangement of
its branches gives to it greater symmetry, grace
and beauty. .

The Mountain Buckler Fern, as its name indi-
cates, is found — sometimes in great abundance —
chiefly in mountainous districts; sometimes in
woods, where it grows in a state of great luxu-
riance ; and sometimes fringing the banks of

356

THE BUCKLER FERNS.

mountain streams. In the north, and in some
other parts of Scotland, it often densely clothes
the mountain-sides. It has a wide distribution
throughout England, Wales, and Scotland ; being,
however, a species of some rarity in Ireland.
Peaty soil will suit it well, mixed with a small
proportion of sand and leaf-mould : and it may be
grown in the Fern-garden, or in the house ; but
wherever it is planted it must have shade and
abundant moisture.

7.

THE MARSH BUCKLER FERN.

Lastrea tlielypteris.

PLATE 6, FIG. 6.

jHE most delicate in texture and fragile
in habit of all the Buckler Ferns is
Lastrea thelypteris. As its common
name indicates it grows in marshes, preferring
those which are exceedingly boggy and wet,
especially when the bog is immersed in the deepest

M 357

THE FERN PARADISE.

shade. Ordinarily it grows to a height of a little
more than a foot, but occasionally it grows to
more than double this height. The fronds are of
two kinds — barren and fruitful, the fertile ones
being taller than the others. The stem of the
barren frond is long, thin, green in colour, and
exceedingly fragile. The leafy portion is lance -
shaped. The rachis is thin, green, and fragile like
the stipes, and on each side of it at intervals, —
sometimes opposite in pairs, and sometimes placed
irregularly — are the branches, narrow and lance-
shaped, but usually somewhat blunt-pointed.
These branches are again divided — not quite down
to their mid-stems, but almost so — into oblong
blunt-pointed lobes or leaflets. The divisions
between the lobes are very regular and symmetri-
cal, and go down so deeply between the lobes as to
leave only a narrow leafy wing or expansion along
the upper and under parts of the mid-stems.

About the entire aspect of the Marsh Buckler
Pern there is something exceedingly delicate and
fragile, and the colour is a most exquisite light
shade of green. We shall not easily forget our
first adventure in search of the Marsh Fern. We

358

TI1E BUCKLER FERNS.

had arranged to meet Charles Hillman, already
alluded to, at Newton Abbott, whence he was to
pilot us to the Decoy Bog, in the vicinity of that
town. Unfortunately when we arrived at the
Newton Abbott station the rain began to pour.
But we had set our minds on Thelypteris, and,
nothing daunted, we started for the Decoy Bog»
The bog lies under a wood at the foot of a furze
and Bracken-covered slope. Arrived at the top of
the slope we had to wade through the tall and
dripping Bracken breast high, pushing the Ferns
aside with one hand, and holding our umbrellas in
the other. We soon reached the bog, but there
our difficulties had only commenced. Interspersed
throughout the extent of the bog, which lay under
the shadow of the wood which covered it, were
some moss-covered mounds, chiefly occurring at
the roots or over the stumps of trees. It was
necessary to step with the utmost caution from
moss-covered mound to moss-covered mound,
holding on, as we did so, to the trees ; otherwise,
we should have been precipitated into the bog and
should have sunk we know not where. Wading
into this wooded morass, we at length came to a

M 2 359

THE FERN PARADISE.

spot where the substance of the bog was more than
usually liquid. Here we found Thelypteris growing
in great abundance, the creeping rhizomas im-
mersed in the black bog-water, above which the
delicate light-green fronds were beautifully waving.
The scene at this spot was singularly wild and
beautiful. Above us, the leafy canopy of the wood ;
beneath, the dark bog, its surface exquisitely
diversified by the delightful fronds of Thelypteris ;
around on mossy clumps, great masses of sedge-
grass, charmingly green in colour, and pictu-
resquely dotted about. From out the mossy
mounds peeped pretty specimens of Blechnum
spicant ; and, scattered here and there, were some
plants of the rarer Lastrea spinulosa.

The Marsh Buckler Fern has a thin, but exten-
sively creeping rhizoma, from all parts of which
spring the fronds. The rhizomas rejoice in the
almost liquid peaty soil of the bog, the soft pulpy
nature of which encourages the travelling propen-
sities of the roots. Few Ferns like to be sodden
in this manner at their roots like Thelypteris. In
cultivation the nearest approach to the natural
conditions which have been described must be

360

THE BUCKLER FERNS.

attempted. If planted in the rockery the lowest
tier should be appropriated for its roots, which,
when practicable, may be kept immersed in water
or perpetually soddened peat soil. If it be kept
indoors in pots, these must stand in pans of water,
and under such conditions this beautiful Fern may
be successfully grown.

' THE FF.KX PARA

i. Forked Spleenwort. — 2. Alternate Spleenwort. — 3. Rue-leaved Spleenwort. — 4. Black Maidenhair
Spleenwort.— 5. Lanceolate Spleenwort.— 6. Rock Spleenwort.— 7. Green Spleenwort.— 8. Common
Maidenhair Spleenwort.— 9. Sea Spleenwort.— 10. Scaly Spleenwort.

CHAPTER XL

THE SPLEEN WORTS.
PLATE 7.

HE Spleenworts form a charming
group, many of them being very
small: but all are evergreen. They
all delight to grow in rocky or
stony crevices, sometimes — on walls — dis-
porting themselves in the sunshine, but always
preferring shade and moisture for their fibrous
rootlets. The little waving tufts of the smaller
species conspicuously ornament the rocks or walls
on which they grow, whilst the larger kinds wear
their beautiful fronds with a nobler grace. The
common or popular name was given to this group
of Ferns on account of an ancient belief in their

365

THE FERN PARADISE.

power, when used as medicine, of curing splenetic
affections. The genus Asplenium includes —
1. The Forked Sp]eenwort (Asplenium septen-
trionale). 2. The Alternate Spleenwort (Asplenium
germanicum). 3. The Rue-leaved Spleenwort (As-
plenium ruta muraria). 4. The Black Maiden-
hair Spleenwort (Asplenium adiantum nigrum).
5. The Lanceolate Spleenwort (Asplenium lanceo-
latum). 6. The Rock Spleenwort (Asplenium fon-
tanum). 7. The Green Spleenwort (Asplenium
viride). 8. The Common Maidenhair Spleenwort
(Asplenium trichomanes). 9. The Sea Spleenwort
(Asplenium marinum) : and 1 0. The Scaly Spleen-
wort (Asplenium ceterach).

366

THE 8PLEENWOETS.

1.

THE FORKED SPLEENWORT.

Asplenium septentrionale.

PLATE 7, FIG. 1.

JHE Forked Spleen wort is one of our
rarest Ferns. It grows to an average
height of two or three inches only,
seldom exceeding six. Frond and stem are almost
blended, the leafy part of the frond being merged
into the stem by means of a sort of narrow leafy
wing. The fronds, which are thrown up in little
tufts around the crown of the plant, are divided
into sometimes two and sometimes three forked
divisions, somewhat club-shaped, narrow at their
base, and broadening upwards, where, being widest,
they are each finely jagged or slightly forked, the
tips of the segments presenting sharp points. On
the backs of the short fronds grow the spore-
cases, which, when quite ripe, become confluent,
forming one mass.

367

THE FERN PARADISE.

When growing wild on rocks the Forked Spleen-
wort becomes densely tufted, and spreads into a
mass of crowns, which throw up a little forest of
fronds. In cultivating this Fern, sandy peat, leaf-
mould, and old fragments of mortar should con-
stitute the soil. With this should be interspersed
pieces of freestone or sandstone, and the roots
should be planted between fragments of stone so
as to imitate, as nearly as possible, the conditions
under which it is found growing on its native
rocks.

2.

THE ALTERNATE SPLEEN WORT.

'Asplenium germanicum.

PLATE 7, FIG. 2.

RARE and tiny Fern is the Alternate
Spleenwort ; even rarer than the one
last described. Like the Spleenworts
in general, it grows in rocky clefts, but has
only been found in a few localities in England,

368

THE SPLEENWORTS.

Wales, and Scotland. It does not grow in Ireland.
From the crown of its tufted root- stock spring up
a mass of little fronds, which seldom grow to a
height of more than six inches, though usually
they are not so long. The leafy portion of the
frond consists of a mid- stem or rachis, on each
side of which, placed alternately, are a number of
wedge-shaped leaflets, connected with the rachis
at their narrowest part, and being consequently
broadest at their tops. The tops are irregularly
cleft or toothed, presenting a series of sharp points.
The frond usually ends in a leaflet larger than those
which are placed alternately along the rachis ; but
this final leaflet is, like the others, sharply notched
or toothed.

The same method of cultivation recommended
for the Forked Spleenwort will suit its near rela-
tive Asplenium germanicum, namely, sandy peat
and leaf-mould for soil, and an arrangement of
little pieces of sandstone or freestone in the pot,
or in the cleft of the rockery where it is grown.

369

THE FERN PARADISE.

3.

THE RUE-LEAVED SPLEENWORT.

Asplenium ruta-muraria.

PLATE 7, FIG. 3.

IF all our native Ferns the Rue-leaved
Spleenwort or Wall Rue is, perhaps, the
most unpretending in appearance. Yet
itis amost interesting little Fern, and will well repay
study and care. Tt is very diminutive, sometimes
only growing to a height of about one inch, but when
tinder very favourable conditions, in a wild state,
it will reach a length of several inches. It is
widely distributed, loving to fasten itself on old
walls, rocks, or the sides of bridges of all kinds,
spanning water. Often it is found growing on
church walls and the walls of dwelling-houses. It
is, indeed, a familiar little Fern, and is frequently
seen flourishing in the midst of towns, seeming,
indeed, to love the society of man. But the secret
of its preference for buildings of various kinds
is its fondness for old mortar. When growing on

370

THE SPLEENWORTS.

walls the finest specimens are always those which
are found at the top of the walls, just beneath the
coping-stone or crowning bricks, which serve as a
protection for the crown of the Wall Rue. Between
the bricks of walls and in the crevices of rocks the
little Fern inserts its wiry fibrous rootlets, which
suck in the moisture pent by the stony covering,
and revel in the combination of old mortar and
deposits of leaf -mould formed by dropping leaves.
The Wall Rue prefers to grow — root-stock, crown,
and rootlets, — horizontally, a position rendered
necessary by the habit of the little plant in gro wing-
between the mortar lines of walls. From its tufted
crown the tiny fronds shoot out in dense clusters.
Stem and leafy part are usually about equal in
length. The tiny branches of the frond are placed
alternately on each side of the rachis, each branch
being again divided into little diamond-shaped
lobes. These lobes are thick and leathery in tex-
ture and of a dark, shining green colour. When
the spores ripen the clusters of spore-cases
usually become confluent, so that in the autumn
the backs of the leaflets are thickly covered with
rich brown masses of seed. Evergreen in

THE FERN PARADISE.

"habit, the fronds of this little Fern endure
through the winter.

Some difficulty is experienced by amateur Fern
growers in the cultivation of the Wall Rue, a
difficulty which, it is to be feared, arises chiefly from
want of care in sufficiently studying the natural
conditions under which it thrives. Too frequently
the Fern is not properly transplanted. Perhaps
only a third of its little fibrous rootlets are secured
when it is taken from its natural habitat. In
such a case failure in growing it is almost in-
evitable. It is often very difficult to transplant it
without doing injury to crown or root-stock, and.
indeed, it is generally impossible to obtain it entire
and uninjured without removing the stones amongst
which it is growing. But this difficulty overcome,
and the tiny plant secured intact, it will be gene-
rally found comparatively easy of cultivation. Jt
should be planted between fragments of stone in
such a manner as to imitate, as nearly as possible,
its natural conditions ; and for soil it must have
sandy leaf -mould and old pieces of mortar.

372

THE SPLEENWORTS.

4.

THE BLACK MAIDENHAIR SPLEENWORT.

Asp len iun i a diantum -nigrum.

PLATE 7, FIG. 4.

[HE Black Maidenhair is, perhaps, the-
most elegant of the Spleenworts, chiefly
on account of the elaborate and beau-
tiful manner in which its fronds are divided. It
grows from a very tufted root-stock, and throws
up thick clusters of fronds, which vary con-
siderably in height. Sometimes, when growing
on walls in somewhat dry and exposed situations,,
it may be found no more than an inch or at most
two or three inches high. But when it is in
situations more congenial to it, and under con-
ditions such as will be presently described, it
attains a height of from eighteen inches to two
feet, and possesses extreme elegance. The young
fronds and their stems are, when first starting
from the root-stock, ordinarily light-green in
colour. But, as they attain maturity, they become

373

THE FERN PARADISE.

— the latter a dark rich purple, and the former —
the leafy part — a dark shining green. In luxu-
riant specimens the stem of the frond is as long as,
— often longer than — its other part. But in small
specimens found growing on walls the stem is
usually much shorter than the rest of the frond.
The latter, in its leafy part, is triangular in shape ;
and alternately placed on opposite sides of its
rachis or mid-rib are a number of triangular-
shaped branches, gradually, however, as they
diminish in size and length towards the point of
the frond, becoming less and less distinctly trian-
gular, until the branches near the extreme point of
the top are mere leaflets, bluntly club-shaped and
indented, and finally merging in the tip of the
frond. The lowest branches on each side of the
frond, being distinctly triangular, are again divided
into triangular- shaped leaflets, which follow the
same arrangement towards the point of the
branch, as the branches follow, as already de-
scribed, towards the point of the frond. The
triangular- shaped leaflets at the base of the lower
branches of the frond are, in luxuriant speci-
mens of the Black Maidenhair Spleenwort, again

374

THE SPLEEN WORTS.

divided into lobes — at their lower extremity
these ultimate divisions being beautifully notched
or serrated. Depending on the situation in which
it grows, the fronds of the Black Maidenhair
Spleenwort are either very thick, rigid, and
leathery in texture, or of a softer and more droop-
ing habit. The plant is very decidedly evergreen,
its fronds, springing up in May or June, con-
tinuing to grow until September or October, and
from that time, when it has reached its maturity,
lasting until the ensuing spring. When in its
perfectly mature state, in the autumn, the spores,
which have clustered at the back of its fronds,
become confluent and densely cover the whole
under surface of the leaflets. Being then of a
rich dark brown colour, they finely contrast with
the dark shining green of the plant, and strikingly
add to its handsome appearance.

The Black Maidenhair Spleenwort is widely
distributed over the United Kingdom. It occurs
plentifully on walls, old ruins, and river bridges,
growing, like the Wall Rue, in the interstices
between the stones. It also grows on old stony
hedge-banks, and it is in such situations, when

375

THE FERN PAEAD1SE.

favoured by a rich soil of leaf-mould which may
have collected in the crevices formed by the
loosely arranged stones, and when sheltered by
overhanging bushes, that it attains its most luxu-
riant growth. We have often found it growing
on the soft soil of the hedge-bank. But as it is
an essentially rock-loving Fern, it loves best to
grow on such hedge- banks as we have described.

Asplenium adiantum-nigrum is a beautiful Fern
for the rockery, but must be planted in a shady,
sheltered corner amongst stones, in a soil composed
of rich sandy loam and leaf-mould. It will grow
readily in pots, but must be planted amongst the
stones in which it delights.

376

THE SPLEENWOftTS.

5.

THE LANCEOLATE SPLEENWORT.

Asp lenium lanceolatum.

PLATE 7, FIG. 6.

[HERE is so much similarity between the
Lanceolate and the Black Maidenhair
Spleenwort, that Fern-hunters are in
danger oftentimes of mistaking the one for the
other. But there is one mark by which the two
Ferns can be unmistakably distinguished from
each other. In the Black Maidenhair the frond is
broadest at its base, and tapers upwards gradually
to its point; it is, in fact, distinctly triangular. In
Lanceolatum, on the contrary, the frond is
broadest about the centre of its leafy part ; and
from thence it tapers in both directions to its tip
and to its base. In other respects the description
of the fronds of Adiantum nigrum will very nearly
apply to those of Lanceolatum, with this general
difference, that the widest branches of the
fronds of Lanceolatum are not so broad and not

377

THE FERN PARADISE.

so much divided as the widest branches of
the fronds of Adiantum-nigrum, which are, as
already stated, the lowest branches in the frond.
Another mark of recognition in Lanceolatum is
the peculiar arrangement of the cases containing
the ripened spores. In Adiantum-nigrum these
are at first arranged in lines at the backs of the
fronds ; then they become confluent, and often
densely crowd the entire under surface of the
leaflets. In Lanceolatum they are ordinarily ar-
ranged in little round bulged clusters, which are
distinct from each other.

The Black Maidenhair Spleenwort is widely
distributed throughout the United Kingdom.
But Lanceolatum is much rarer, and is confined
in its range to the south and west of England, to
South Wales, to the south of Ireland, and to the
Channel Islands. In the Channel Islands it grows
very luxuriantly. It varies in size, from tiny
plants of some six inches in length to luxuriant
specimens of a foot and eighteen inches long.
Another peculiarity of Lanceolatum is that it pre-
fers the sea-coast, and is often found on rocks in
company with the Sea Spleenwort. In the same

378

TIIK SPLEEN WORTS.

company it is also often found growing luxu-
riantly in dripping sea-caves.

In the open-air fernery the Lanceolate Spleen-
wort requires peculiar care. It does not appear to
habituate itself so readily to artificial conditions of
existence as the Black Maidenhair; oftentimes,
doubtless, the fault may lie with the Fern-hunter,
who perhaps has not used sufficient care in re-
moving Lanceolatum from its native habitats. It
often grows so firmly imbedded in rocky clefts
that its eradication in an uninjured state is a
matter of difficulty. But when this is properly
accomplished, and the plant is secured with its
crown uninjured, and its fibrous rootlets entire,
careful cultivation will be rewarded by. success.
If planted in the open rockery, or indoors in pots,
the soil should be composed of silver-sand, or
light sandy loam and leaf-mould, mixed together
in about equal proportions ; and to this compost
should be added some small pieces of sandstone.

Under a covering of glass, however, Lanceolatum
is thoroughly at home ; for such a method of cul-
tivation appears more nearly to supply the natural
conditions under which this beautiful Fern grows

379

THE FERN PARADISE.

in greatest luxuriance. We have devoted one
little terra cotta stand and shade to three fine speci-
mens of Lanceolatum, the same which we obtained
from the vicinity of the Logan Stone, that crowns
the heights of Lustleigh Cleave, on Dartmoor.
We planted the roots, and gently wedged in the
crowns of the plants between little blocks of sand-
stone, keeping them carefully under their glass
covering, which is only removed from time to
time to give air and water. They are thriving
admirably, and are throwing up new fronds most
vigorously. They delight in the shady situation
in which they are placed, and revel in the per-
petual moisture that surrounds their beautiful
fronds, and distils on them like dewdrops.

s

;8o

THE SPLEEN WORTS.

6.

THE ROCK SPLEEN WORT.

Asplenium fontanum.

PLATE 7, FIG. 6.

|NE of the most rare of our rarer species
of British. Ferns is the Rock Spleen-
wort ; so rare, indeed, that some doubts
as to its actual identity with the supposed speci-
mens of it discovered in these islands have been
raised. But these doubts will probably be dis-
pelled by the evidence which has been produced,
as to the discovery of this species — evidence
making it pretty clear that its inclusion amongst
British plants can be justified. In two or three
places in England, in one locality in Wales, in
one in Scotland, and in one in Ireland, Asplenium
fontanum has — according to tolerably trustworthy
authority — been found. It grows amidst sheltered
inland rocks and in sea caves, and possibly may
not be so rare as is generally supposed, though
certainly, if it be more plentiful than Fern collec-

381

THE FERN PARADISE.

tors believe, its abundance lias remained, as yet,
the secret of some, probably, inaccessible locali-
ties.

The present species might somewhat appro-
priately be likened in a general way to small
specimens of Asplenium lanceolatum. The fronds
are of an average length of some four or five
inches, bright green in colour, and thick in texture.
They have short, dark, purplish stems, their leafy
portions being narrowly lance-shaped, tapering
to their bases as well as to their apices. The tiny
branches of the frond are placed in alternation
along on each side of the rachis, and are furnished
with alternately- placed triangular or four- sided
lobes, which are deeply and sharply incised, the
incisions giving a beautifully serrated appearance
to the lobes.

Under green-house cultivation the fronds of
this beautiful little Fern wTill sometimes attain a
length of twelve inches. The soil for growing it
should be sandy loam and leaf-mould ; and small
pieces of soft, broken stone should be mixed with
the compost, the root-stock of Fontanum being
placed between little blocks of the stone. It is a

382

THE SPLEEN WOJttTS.

charming little plant, having one of the freshest
and most delightful of the Hues of fresh and
delightful green.

7.

THE GEE EN SPLEENWOBT.

Asplenium viride.

PLATE 7, FIG. 7.

FERN of the rocky moorland and the
mountain stream; not rare, but local
in its distribution. It grows in the
moist interstices which lie between the stony
masses. But it mostly loves a rocky home in
immediate contiguity to the soft vapour of the
wild cascade. It delights to grow in the tiny
trickle caused by percolating water. Little wiry
fibrous rootlets, that plunge within the hearts of
rocks in search of the soft veins of leaf -mould ; a
black, tufted root-stock, from which start the
lovely fronds ; a short stipes, purple at its base,

383

THE FEKN PARADISE.

but beyond of a vivid and delightful green; a
rachis of the same delightful green, and on each
side of it, placed in alternation, a row of
little, egg-shaped, saw-edged leaflets, diminish-
ing in size as the frond tapers to a point.
Each root- stock produces these pretty little fronds
in thick clusters, so that a luxuriant specimen of
the plant presents a delightfully fresh appearance.
The fronds grow to various heights, their luxu-
riance depending on the favourable or unfavour-
able nature of the situation in which the plant
grows. Sometimes they are not more than an
inch or two in height ; sometimes they are five or
six, occasionally as much as eight or ten.

Delighting as it does in an atmosphere of mois-
ture, it should be planted where ii> can secure the
conditions which it requires. It may be grown
in the rockery or in pots in the house. But under
a covering of glass it will thrive admirably, for
there it can most easily secure the moisture which
it loves.

THE SPIiBENWOBTS.

8.

THE COMMON MAIDENHAIR SPLEENWOKT.

Asplenium trichomanes.

PLATE 7, FIG. 8.

[HIS Fern and the Green Spleenwort are
very nearly related indeed ; the great
distinction being that Viride, as its
name seems to imply, has nearly the whole of its
stipes and the whole of its rachis of a bright
green, whilst Trichomanes, when mature, has both
the stipes and rachis on its fronds of a dark,
shining, purple colour, approaching to black.
The Common Maidenhair Spleenwort is, too, as
its name indicates, far more plentiful, and far
more widely distributed throughout the United
Kingdom, than its half-sister Viride. It is, too,
hardier than the latter, and easier of cultivation-
The same description, with the exceptions which
have been pointed out, will apply in the case of
both Ferns : black, tufted root-stocks ; wiry,

3*5

THE EEBN PARADISE.

fibrous rootlets ; thin, narrow fronds ; brittle
stems; and two rows of leaflets, — now placed
opposite in pairs, and now ranged alternately —
egg-shaped and saw-edged. Both grow from their
crowns in dense clusters. But, as we have already
inferred, TricJwmanes is found growing in sunnier
and more exposed situations than Viride. Tri-
chomanes, nevertheless, though so hardy and bold,
best loves deep shade and moisture. It never,
however, grows on the ground, but must be
elevated on wall, rock, or hedge-bank.

It is really difficult to imagine anything more
beautiful than a wall or rock clothed with dense
tufts of the fronds of TricJwmanes , with their
shining, purplish-black stems and refreshingly
green leaflets. Peer over the arch of yonder
bridge, beneath which the stream is surging and
splashing ! Beyond you, dark woods tower up
against the horizon ; beneath, the shining river
reflects in its limpid surface the blue canopy of
the sky checkered with fleecy white clouds. You
follow the course of the current, watching some
foam spot as it eddies along, and disappears
beneath the arch over which you are leaning. As

386

THE SPLEEN W GETS.

you gaze intently into the stream, your cheeks are
fanned by the brisk moorland breeze, which comes
fresh laden with the sweet perfumes of wild
flowers. But the breeze has stirred the tiny life
which clings to the stony sides of the bridge ; and
your eyes are suddenly rivetted by waving tufts
of purple and green — a mimic forest of Fern-
fronds clothing the arches of stone and mortar.
Examine the exquisite arrangements of these
beautiful fronds, — green gems on stalks like
maiden's hair. 0 bountiful Creator, to spread
out such rich treasures as these! to make the
dry, hard stones live with their charming dress of
glorious green !

Thousands of sights like these may be seen in
the wild, rocky moorlands, on bridges which span
the moorland streams. But much as it loves the
wild home of Nature, and the damp rock in the
moorland valley, the beautiful fronds of the
Common Maidenhair Spleen wort may be seen even
in the heart of towns, — for it will grow on houses
and garden walls. Though a rock-loving Fern,
it will also oftentimes grow with great luxuriance
on the soft soil of a sloping hedge-bank.

387

THE FEEN PARADISE.

Asplenium trichomanes is evergreen and hardy,
enduring bravely through the winter, and sturdily
retaining its little bristling stalks, even when their
crops of leaves have gone. It is a delightful
occupant of the open-air rockery; but it will
grow readily and well in pots. Put it in a high
and shady cleft of your rockery — give it leaf-
mould, and sand, and broken pieces of soft brick
or stone — and it will always be refreshing and
delightful.

9.

THE SEA SPLEENWOKT.

Asplenium marinum.

PLATE 7, FIG. 9.

JHE habitats of the Sea Spleen wort are
sea rocks and dripping sea caves. The
instances are very few indeed in which
it has been found growing away from the sea, and
even in these rare instances the plants have been
removed but a short distance from the direct

388

THE SPLEENWORTS.

influence of the sea air. The true habitat of
the Sea Spleenwort is the open sea coast ; some-
times on the outside face of the rocks, and some-
times within shadowy caverns. It not only grows
in crevices in the rock, but on the rock itself,
into which it insinuates its roots. Sometimes it
grows on the roofs and at the sides of dripping
caverns ; and in such situations it will often
spread its roots like a web over the damp, stony
surfaces.

Its fronds are leathery in texture ; and of so
bright, fresh, and shining a green colour, that it
is positively refreshing to look upon them.
Average specimens are six or eight inches long ;
but in dripping sea caves they sometimes hang
pendant from the roofs, and reach a length of as
much as eighteen inches. The shape of the frond
of the Sea Spleenwort is narrowly oblong,
broadest about the centre, narrowing slightly to-
wards the base, tapering upwards, and blunt-
pointed. On each side of the rachis is a simple
row of leaflets. These are arranged in pairs near
the bottom of the frond, but become alternated
towards the top. Immediately contiguous to, and

389

THE FERN PARADISE.

on each side of the rachis, is a very narrow leafy
wing or expansion, not readily discernible with-
out close inspection, but serving in some sort to
connect the several leaflets. These are somewhat
irregularly egg-shaped, sometimes almost roughly
four-sided, connected with the rachis at their
lower side by means of a very short stalk, and
slightly indented. The leaflets are merged in the
tip of the frond.

We remember finding some specimens of the
Sea Spleen wort down the Dart, about three or
four miles from Totnes. We were looking for
some small specimens of the Fern, which we were
told grew in the locality ; but we lighted by
chance upon a small cluster of larger plants.
The tide was out, and as we were searching the
rocky banks of the river, we suddenly rounded a
jutting rocky corner, and came on to a strand that
would have been inaccessible at high tide. On
oar right the river bank shelved in, and formed a
sort of overhanging projection, crowned with
large shrubs, and sheltered by trees rising on the
high ground above. On the soft red sandstone
rock, and just above high-water level, we carne

39°

TilE SPLEENWORTS.

upon a number of tufts of Asplenium marinum-
It was a matter of considerable difficulty to get
them out intact. The roots were positively im-
bedded in the solid rock ; and it was only by dint
of persevering labour with a chisel that we at
length succeeded, by chipping away the surround-
ing rock, in getting out our plants entire. We
carefully preserved our specimens ; and we have
them now, green and vigorous, in our glass case.
The Sea Spleen wort will rarely be found to
grow, it is said, on the open rockery, away
from the sea, as it needs the sea air. But in
a glass case it will grow luxuriantly. It should
be planted between fragments of rock — red sand-
stone if possible — in soil composed of sandy leaf-
mould and peat. It loves warmth and excessive
moisture ; and in the house these conditions are
supplied if it be kept under a covering of glass.
We have adopted the plan of devoting a large
ornamental Fern-pan to our specimens, filling up
with the necessary soil upon a layer of broken
flower-pot and charcoal. On the top of the soil
are large pieces of brick and stone, and between
these our Ferns are planted. The whole is

x 391

THE FERN PARADISE.

covered with a large bell glass; and under the
same covering we have the Lanceolate Spleen wort
and the True Maidenhair. It is, in fact, a minia-
ture rockery which we have established under
glass. Already the moisture has coated the
bricks and stony surfaces with moss and seedling
Ferns ; and we take a keen delight from time to
time in uncovering our miniature c Fern Paradise '
to get a brief glimpse of the shining Fern-fronds,
tipped with the mimic dewdrops which distil upon
them in their moist prison.

10.

THE SCALY SPLEEN WORT.

Asplenium ceterach.

PLATE 7, FIG. 10.

|OK richness and variety of colouring, the
Scale Fern is the handsomest of the
Spleenworts. It is, indeed, an ex-
quisite little plant. Like the rest of its family, it

392

TliE SPLEENWOKTS.

loves to grow on rocks and walls, even preferring
the latter, and oftentimes growing abundantly
within town limits, on barn and garden walls, and
even on house walls. Average specimens are
about three or four inches in length ; but, under
favourable conditions, they may attain a length
of six, seven, eight, or more inches. They are
believed to have an especial fondness for old
mortar. Hence the reason why they are so fre-
quently found on old wails.

The frond of the Scaly Spleenwort has a short
stipes, scale-covered ; and its upper portion con-
sists of one elongated, deeply and widely scalloped
leaf ; or, perhaps, to make the explanation clearer,
it would be desirable to liken the frond of the
Scale Fern to a coarse, double-edged saw ; but
what would correspond to the teeth of the saw
are blunt-pointed lobes. The frond is widest
at its centre, and tapers at each end. It has
a thick midrib or rachis. What constitutes
the peculiar elegance of the Scale Fern is the
contrast presented by the two sides of the frond.
Its upper surface is of a rich bluish-green, soft
ana velvety to the touch; its under surface is

393

THE FUEN PARADISE.

completely hidden by a thick drapery of densely
packed reddish-brown scales. These beautiful
scales extend to every part of the back of the
frond, covering up midrib and pinnule, and
affording a snug hiding-place for the spore-cases.
The fronds grow in tufts from a central crown,
and are always most luxuriant when found at the
top of walls, under the shelter of overhanging
trees.

Well do we remember the pleasure we ex-
perienced on finding, after a long search, our first
specimens of the Scale Fern. We had previously
read the description of this beautiful species, and
had seen the coloured representations of it ; but
had never happened to set eyes on the living plant,
either in a wild or cultivated state. We, there-
fore, started in our first search for the wild plant
from Totnes in the direction of Berry Pomeroy
Castle, — having been assured that we should find
some specimens on an old wall which skirted the
wood surrounding the Castle. We were some
time in finding the old wall in question ; but we
at length lighted upon it. Carefully we searched
on both sides for some distance, but without en-

394

THE SPLEENWORTS.

countering anything at all like our descriptions of
Ceterach. Presently, however, the boundary wall
was cast into deeper shadow by the high and
overlapping branches of the trees in the wood ;
and continuing our search along the inner side of
the wall, we at length found several fine plants of
the Scale Fern revelling in the old mortar and leaf-
mould, in a deep shady cleft formed by the pointed
coping-stones. There could be no mistaking the
strongly -marked characteristics of Ceterach — the
thick, green velvety texture of the frond on one
side, and the dense carpeting of rich reddish-
brown scales on the under surface.

The finest specimens of the beautiful Scale Fern
which we have ever encountered, we found on the
top of a very high wall which skirted another wood
in the neighbourhood of Totnes. The large stones
at the top of the wall had become loose with time,
and the perpetual droppings of leaves during many
years from the trees which overhung it, had accu-
mulated a rich deposit of leaf-mould between the
loosened stones. Immediately underneath the
crowning stones we found the largest specimens
of Cetemch, with fronds over seven inches long,

395

THE FJ3RN PAEADISE.

and enormous roots extending to nearly the whole
width of the wall, and forming a compact mass
nearly a foot square. This wall, like the one at
Berry Pomeroy, was immersed in the deepest
shade flung by the over-hanging trees.

Planted in the highest and shadiest clefts of the
out-of-door rockery, with leaf-mould, sand, and
old bits of mortar for soil, — kept sufficiently moist,
but not drenched with water, — the elegant Scale
Fern will succeed well.

396

THK FILMY FERNS.

PLATE 8.

i Timbridge Filmy Fern. — 2. One-sided Filmy Fern.

CHAPTER XII.

THE FILMY FERNS.
PLATE 8.

)HE Filmy Ferns form a sort of connect-
ing link between Ferns and mosses.
They are the tiniest of all the British
Ferns, forming little tufts sometimes
only one inch in length ; but sometimes growing
to a length of six inches. Their semi-pellucid and
filmy nature is sufficiently expressed in the common
name given to them. The British group of these
pretty little Ferns is a tiny one, including only two
species, namely; — 1. The Tunbridge Filmy Fern
(Hymenophyllum tunbridgense), and 2. The One-
sided Filmy Fern (Hymenophyllum unilaterale).

399

THE FEUN PARADISE.

1.

THE TUNBRIDGF FILMY F

Hymenophyllum tunbridqense.
PLATE 8, FIG. 1.

[jHE Tunbridge Filmy Fern— so called be-
cause it was first noticed in the neigh-
bourhood of Tunbridge Wells — is a tiny
moss-like plant frequently found growing on rocks
and boulders in the immediate vicinity of streams of
water. The filmy, pellucid texture of the fronds
would shrivel up, were the plant exposed to dry, hot
air. It can only therefore exist in a constant atmos-
phere of moisture, such as is to be found where
water is continually present. It delights in the
spray of waterfalls, or to be perched on the damp
rocks round which the mountain streams rush and
roar. In such situations it has a wide distribution
throughout the United Kingdom. The fronds grow
from little black, wire-like rhizomas, which often
become densely interlaced with the mosses which
grow on boulder-tops in mid-stream, or wherever
perpetual moisture makes moss life predominant.

400

THE FILMY FERNS.

They have short wire-like stems, and the leafy or
filmy portion consists of a series of branched veins
arranged alternately on each side of the rachis. The
primary veins are divided into veinlets, which are
usually arranged in pairs on each side of the primary
veins. Each vein, whether primary or secondary,
is bordered by a narrow, filmy, leafy wing. The
seeds, when they are formed, are placed in little
cup-shaped receptacles in the angles made by the
rachis and the primary branches of the frond.
The general outline of the latter is somewhat egg-
shaped. The leafy filaments are of a dull,
brownish-green colour, and semi-transparent.

401

THE FEKN PARADISE.

2.

THE ONE-SIDED FILMY FERN.

Hymenophyllum unilaterale.

PLATE 8, FIG. 2.

[HE two Filmy Ferns resemble each other
closely in many important respects.
But Unilaterale is chiefly distinguished
from Turibridgense by having the leafy filaments
on the primary branches of the fronds produced
on the upper surface only of the branches, instead
of on both sides, above and beneath, which is the
case in the Tunbridge Filmy Fern. In Unilaterale
as in Tunbrigense, what corresponds in ordinary
Ferns to the leaflets of the fronds are branched
veins, with filmy, semi-transparent, wing-like
borders. The distinction between the two Ferns
is somewhat slight. But both are found growing
under the same conditions, often in company, their
thin wire-like rhizomas densely interlacing with
each other, and with the roots of the mosses which

402

THE FJLMY FERNS.

coyer the moist rocky surfaces of the habitats of
the two British species of Hymenophyllum.

When the natural conditions under which the
Filmy Ferns grow can be imitated in the Fern
garden, then these beautiful little pellucid-leaved
plants will thrive luxuriantly. The natural con-
ditions can be imitated perfectly under a cover-
ing of glass, which will secure the object of keep-
ing an atmosphere of perpetual moisture around
the rhizomas and fronds. The soil should be peat
and silver sand, and on this compost should be
arranged little blocks of sfcone, between which the
roots should be placed. The whole should be
saturated with water, and then covered with the
glass shade. Here the Filmy Ferns will grow
luxuriantly, and will thus, in the warm humidity
of their adopted home, exhibit the freshness which
they can only otherwise exhibit in their rocky
habitats in the misty atmosphere and within sound
of the thunders of the moorland streams.

403

L'ENVOI.

HE Author cannot take leave of his
readers without expressing the earnest
hope that some pleasure and some
profit may have been derived by those
who have closely followed him through his ' Fern
Paradise.5 To him, at least, the work of writing
these pages has been truly a labour of love : for it
has called up vividly before his mind's eye de-
lightful scenes which he has with, he fears, but
imperfect success, attempted to describe. But
had not the task been pleasant in itself, it would
have been rendered enjoyable by a consciousness
of the importance of the object for which it was
undertaken.

For surely to aim at giving pleasure to others

405

THE FERN PAEADISE.

is an object of the highest importance ; and there
can be no purer enjoyment than that derived
from the knowledge that such pleasure has really
been afforded.

If, however, the Author should have succeeded
in his object, he trusts that any pleasurable im-
pressions which may have been conveyed to those
who have followed him thus far through this
volume will not be merely transient, or such as
might be experienced if, to a rapid perusal of the
descriptions which have been given of Ferns and
ferny lanes, and of the Author's suggestions re-
specting the cultivation of Ferns at home, were
to succeed indifference as to the important end
which the book is intended to secure.

The Author would wish to address his readers
not collectively only, but individually. His
labour will have missed its purpose if it does
not, besides creating pleasant fancies, lead to
practical and permanent good. Will it be too
much to hope that every one who reads these
pages will receive some benefit from their perusal,
and will not lay the volume aside without having
determined to carry out in practice the sugges-

406

L ENVOI,

tions which it contains ? There is the greater
reason to hope for such a result because of the
very small amount of trouble and expense which
need be involved in the attempt. Those, of
course, who possess the necessary means, and
who are not pressed for time, and who, moreover,
are inclined to enter thoroughly and heartily into
the spirit of the Author's suggestions, can carry
them out with the most elaborate completeness.
There are abundant facilities for the exercise of
the most luxurious and expensive taste in the
selection of the accessories needed for trans-
forming into a ' Fern Paradise ' either dwelling-
house or garden. In the drawing-rooms and
sitting-rooms of the houses belonging to the rich
it is not by any means uncommon to find plant-
cases or flower-pots of an ornamental kind.
Sometimes a number of these may be found in
one room, and the fact is an indication that the
owner or some member of his household possesses
a taste which is strongly appreciative of the
beauties of Nature. Sometimes the plants are
Ferns, more frequently they are flowering plants.
But even in cases where this taste for introducing

407

THE FERN PARADISE.

plants into the dwelling-house has been exercised
more freely than usual, it is seldom that the
effect produced is striking. The conservatory —
when an adjunct of the drawing-room, and imme-
diately contiguous to it — supplies in some degree
the requirements of a refined taste ; but dwelling-
rooms are mostly subjected to the despotic sway
of a system of conventional ornamentation. Even
rigid conventionalism, however, pays homage to
Nature by calling artistic effort into requisition in
order to produce petrified imitations of leaves and
flowers. The high art of the painter and sculptor,
and the ruder arts of house decorating, are employed
in this work of imitation ; but the result — often
beautiful and striking as an artistic success —
pales before the exquisite reality of Nature itself.

Why then do we not sweep away from our
dwelling-houses the rigid conventionalism which
is content to represent Nature in stereotyped
lines in places where she is only too ready to come
herself, in all her chaste and simple yet inimitable
loveliness ? Her image may still be preserved in
stereotype where she cannot come herself; but
away with the folly of setting up lifeless imitations

I/ ENVOI.

where the charming reality can exist, and smile
upon us in its pure and dewy freshness !

Nothing less, it will be seen, than a revolution in
domestic ornamentation will realize the Author's
ideal — an ideal which he fears he has faintly and
very imperfectly endeavoured to represent in these
pages. What effect could be more pleasing, more
delightful, more refreshing, and exhilarating to
wearied town dwellers, than the sight of graceful
fern-fronds everywhere surrounding them in and
about their houses ? Money, as already shown,
can be freely lavished if it be desired to employ
artistic accessories in indulging the taste which
the Author desires to see developed. Fern-cases,
stands and brackets, boxes, hanging-baskets, pots,
and, indeed, almost every conceivable arrangement
for holding the beautiful plants, with every elabora-
tion of carving and design, can be obtained in almost
infinite variety. The same facilities exist for
transforming the lawn or the garden into a ' Fern
Paradise ;' and the means employed can here also
be as elaborate and as artistic as wealth may desire.
Shady garden -walls may thus be draped with ferny
fronds. Embankments can be thrown up to fur-

409

THE FERN PARADISE.

nisb abundant scope for the development of the
larger species of Ferns : deep cuttings may be
made, whose sides may afford a semi- subterranean
hiding-place for the smaller species. Artificial
rockery can be made in every direction. Foun-
tains may be introduced in order more readily to
supply the peculiar conditions of moisture, without
which some of the graceful plants will not live or
thrive. In. the same way the soil necessary for
the successful culture of the plants can be supplied;
and the aspect can be chosen with a due regard to
the requirements of Nature. To the rich, expense
would be no object, and it would be lavished in
the exercise of a worthy taste.

But — it is important to remember — costly acces-
sories to Fern culture, as we have shown, are not
necessary. The Author would wish to see his
ideal universally established. The most splendid
elaboration which art could suggest, would be over-
shadowed by the gracefulness which Ferns embody.
Hence, the simplest and least expensive materials
are all that need be employed to produce the most
beautiful effects. The humblest householder can
find no difficulty in obtaining these materials.

410

L' EN VOI.

The ordinary red flower-pots, for instance, are
within the reach of all, even the very poorest, and
these can be brought freely into requisition to aid
the Fern-lover in transforming his home into a
' Fern Paradise.' The lovely plants will be none
the less graceful because grown in these simple
contrivances. On the contrary, they will show to
all the greater advantage when their own lovely
forms are left — unsurrounded by artistic acces-
sories— to speak to the eye with the quiet elo-
quence of natural grace.

In the garden also, however small it may be, or,
as these pages have shown, even in the paved and
narrow yard which may exist when a garden is
absent, the same simplicity of arrangement will
suffice for producing the most pleasing effects.
Rockwork, for instance, will provide, perhaps, the
most convenient site for the disposition of garden
Ferns; and here it Avill be absolutely essential
rigidly to exclude anything like prim ornamenta-
tion. There must be no brilliantly-coloured or
polished stones ; no coral ; no regular gradation
of size and shape in the material used. Rough
misshapen blocks of stone, arranged according to

411

THE FERN PARADISE.

what may be called the symmetry of ruggedness,
ill best suit the graceful ferny forms.

The volume goes forth on its mission. In
EVERY HOME which it enters may it help to promote
the realization of the Author's ideal of A FERN
PARADISE !

4I2

INDEX

INDEX.

A.

PAGE

ABOUT SOIL FOR FERNS ... 223-6

Absorbing attraction of Ferns 221

Adders-tongue ... 274-6, 282

culture of ... . , 275-6

description of ... 274-5

distribution of ... 275

habitats of 274-6

ADIANTUM capillus- Veneris 259-63

culture of 261-3

description of ... 259-60
distribution of ... 259

habitats of 259-60

Advantages of contrast ... 43
^Esthetic considerations 50, 202
Agencies for the elevation
and refinement of the

poor 47

Aids to Fern culture 226

ALLOSORUS crisp-ns ... 265-7

culture of 267

description of ... 265-6

distribution of ... 267

habitats of 267

Alpine Bladder Fern.. .. 322-3

culture of 323

description of ... 322-3

Alpine Polypody 302-3

culture" of 303

description of ... 302-3

PAGE

Alpine Polypody —

distribution of ... 303
habtats of 303

Alpine Woodsia ... ... 334-5

culture of ... ... 335

description of . 334
habitats of 334-5

Alternate Spleenwort . . . 368-9

culture of 369

description ot ... 369

distribution of ... 368-9
habitats of .. ... 368

Alternation, unrolling in ... 221

Amateur Ferneries ... ... 168

fernery and aqua
Hum

' Amies ' chemical manure ..

Animals and plants ...

Annual Maidenhair ...
culture of ...
description of
habitats of ...

Aquaria, Ferns and ,
( iUustra tio n )

Aquarium, bell-glass
in miniature.

Area, courtyard

Fern-house .
' wells '

windows

192-3
226
187

. 263-4
. 264
. 263-4
. 264
187-193
. 192
189-90
... 190
... 183
180, 182
175, 180-182
198-9
... 179

made charming

180

INDEX.

PAGK

PACK

Area-window-conservatory . . .

183

ASPLENIUM viride .. ... 383-4

Fern house ... ' ...

183

culture of 384

Arid aspect of backyards ..

29

description of .. 383-4

Artistic floral displays

178

habitats of 383

Ashhurton 97-98, 103

Association in Nature ... 187

ASPLENIUM, genus

366-6

ATHYRIUM felixfcemina ... 243-7

adia n fit m-n igrit in

373-6

culture of ... ... 246-7

culture of ...

376

description of ... 243-5

description of

373-r>

habitats of 245-6

distribution of

375

Attractions of Fern culture... 49

habitats of ...

375-6

ceterach ...

392-6

culture of ...

396

•

description of

392-4

BADLY LIGHTED ROOMS AND

habitats of ... 302-3

, 395-6 FERNS 48

fontaniuii

381-3 Balcony ferneries 184

culture of

382-3

Bare and plantless corners... 44

description of

382

walls and Ferns 175

distribution of

381 Basement rooms ... ... 183

habitats of ...

381 windows 180

germ a n icn m

368-9 Bays of Devon ... 69

culture of ...

369

Beautiful-leaved plants . 178

description of

369

Beauty and gracefulness of

distribution of

368-9

Ferns ... ... 45-7, 65

habitats of ...

368

of form and colour... 49

lanceolatum

377-80

which delights the

culture of ...

379-80

eye 49

description of

377-8

of organic form ... 48

distribution of

378

sacrificed by adjuncts

habitats of ...

378-9 of civilization .. 49

tnari nu in

388-92 Bedrooms, Ferns in 208

culture of ..:

391-2 ! Bedroom-window ' wells ' ... 184

description of

389-90

Bell-glass aquarium 189-90

habitats of ...

388-9

Bell glasses 163

ruta-muraHa ..

370-2

Berry Pomercy .. 310, 394

culture of

372

Birds and plants ... ... 187

description of

370-2

' Bits of green ' ... ... 52-3

distribution of

370

Black Maidenhair Spleenwort

habitats of ...

370-1

102, 103, 104, 108, 113, 117, 128

scpteiitrionale ...

367-8

373-6

culture of ...

368

culture of 376

description of

367-8

description of ... 373-5

habitats of ...

368

distribution of ... 375

trichomanes

38.5-8

habitats of ... .. 375-6

culture of ...

388

Bladder Ferns 319-27^

description of

385-6

Bleak aspect of backyards... 29

habitats of ...

386-7

outlooks ... 181

415

INDEX.

PAGE

BLECHNUM Spicant . . . 248-51

culture of 250-1

description of ...248-50
distribution of ... 250

habitats of 248-50

Boggy sites of peat ... ... 224

Bold heights of Devon ... 69
Book of Nature ... ... 62

1 Books in the running" brooks '

(illus.) ' ... 63

Boon nature in town centres 29

Botany a beautiful science ... 62

BOTRYCHIUM lunaria ... 272-3

culture of ... ... 273

description of ... 272-3
distribution of ... 272

habitats of 273

Boulder lane, a 129

Bounties of the natural world 61

Bovey ... 110

Bracken 84, 105, 117, 124, 135-6,

138-9, 144, 147-8, 188,

229-338

charm of 230

culture of 236-8

description of ... 231-5
distribution of .. 229

habitats of 230-1

Breathing functions of leaves 205
pores of leaves ... 205
Breath of sweet spring-
flowers 211

Bridge Town ... ... ... 95

Bristle Fern 268-71

culture of 271

description of ...269-71
distribution of ... 269

habitats of 268-9

Bristol Channel 70

British A rch itect on Fe rn s ... 49-5 1
British Fern groups ... 281-413

Ferns ... 229-413

British Quarterly Review on

Ferns ... ... ... 46-7

Brittle Bladder Fern 320-1

culture of ... ... 321

description of . 320-1

Brittle Bladder Fern-
distribution of
Broad Buckler Fern 83,
126, 135-6, 139-40,

culture of ...
description of
distribution of

Brutus, landing of ...

Buckler Ferns...

C.

PAGE

... 321

107, 117,.

144, 149,

344-(>

... 34&

... 344-6

... 346

97

...339-61

CALCEOLARIAS 179

Capabilities of Ferns in

decoration ... ... 51

Carbonic acid gas ... 204, 206-

Cement for rockeries 168, 175-
Charming charactesistics of

Devon 69

ferneries in back

windows ... 48-

Chemical manure ... ... 226

' Children of the woods ' ... 221

Circinate rolling in ... ... 220

City desert places .. ... 50

life, conditions of ... 49
Civilization, refining in-
fluences of 46

Clay brackets tor Fern pots 16i>

Clayey earth ... ... ... 225

Clay Fern pots 164

hanging Fern pans 164

Clematis .." 17H

Clergy and the poor ... ... 51

Cliffs of Devon ... 69

Coast line of Devon .. ... 69

scenery of Devon ... 69

Colour, gorgeousness of ... 65

which delights the eye 49
Common Adders-tongue 74, 274-6

kinds of Ferns ... 66
Common Maidenhair Spleen-
wort ... 88, 102, 108, 113,
385-8

culture of ... ... 388

416

INDEX.

Common Maidenhair Spleen-
wort —

description of ... 385-6
distribution of ... 385

habitats 386-7

Common Polypody 83, 84, 102, 107

117, 13f>, 149, 170, 286-91

culture of ... 287-9, 291

description of ...286-91

distribution of ... 289

habitats of 289

Common things, making- the

most of ' .. 53

Concealed fructification ... 218
Conservatories, window ... 178
Contrast of Ferns and

Flowers . 43-4

' Cool grot and mossy cell "... 43
Corners for Ferns ... ... 167

Cottage gardening' ... ... 47

growth of ... ... 47

Countless myriads of seeds 66

Courtyards, dreary ... ... 174

made into Fern para-
dises ... ... ... 174

Crowds of the city 49

Crowns of Ferns ... ... 219

Cul-de-sac, a charming ... 137
Culture, Ferns and Fern 213-413
Culture of flowers ... ... 48

Cryptogamia ... ... ... 218

CYSTOPTERIS, genus ... 319

fragilis ... .. ... 320

culture of 321

description of 320, 321

distribution of ... 321

m on tan a ... 324-327

culture of 326-7

description of ... 324-6
distribution of . 324

regia 322-3

culture of ... .. 323
description of ... 322-3

' Deep Green Lanes '
Definition of ' lawn '

D.

PAGE

Daily Telegraph on Ferns ... 48-9
Dart, the 79, 80-86, 106-7, 143,

255-8

Dart bridge 95

Darlington Hall 108

Wood ... 98-9, 106-8

Dartmoor 86, 109-29, 143-4, 255
... 211
... 171-2

Delicious green lanes ... 39

Devonian valley ... ... 115

Devonshire, bays of ... ... 69

the bold heights of... 69
the coast lines of ... 69
the coast scenery of 70
the Ferns of :.. 70
the Fern Paradise... 70
the garden of Eng-
land 66

the green lanes of 69, 104
the high roads of ... 104

the hills of 69

the home of our

native Ferns .. 66

the interior of ... 70

the landscapes of ... 70
the moorlands of ... 69
the noble cliffs of ... 69
no monotony in ... 69
the paradise of

British Ferns ... 70
peculiar charm of ... 69
a riverside ramble

in 121-5

scenery and Ferns... 70-5
marvellous varietv of

scenery in
softness and grace

of scenery in ...
seaboard of ...
shady woods of
unrivalled for its

scenery...
valleys, grace of ...

69

70
69
69

69
70

417

INDEX.

PAGE

Devonshire —

warmth and mois-
ture of ... ... 71

Distinguishing- characteristics

of Ferns 218-21

Down a green lane ... ... 131-51

Dreary courtyard ... ... 174-5

outlooks ... ... 175

windows ... ... 175

Dripping rocks .. ... 211

* Drooping trees above you ' '45

E.

EMBLEM OF FKRNLAXD ... 139

' England, gai den of ... 66

English Channel ... ... 70

English landscapes ... ... 69

Rhine 78-9

Enjoyment with companion

of kindred tastes ... 45

Enlivening influence of plants 29

Envoi, L' 405-12

Epidermis of plant leaves ,.. 205
Epping Forest, Ferns in 38, 291
Every house a ' Fern Para-
dise' 159

Excursion trips are cheap ... 38

Extending the love of Ferns 36
Extensive capabilities of

Ferns 50

Fern culture and the

poor

PAGE

51, 154

F.

FAIRY CAVERN, A. ...
' Fairy grotto,' A
Fascination of Fern culture.

of Fern hunting
Fern accessories

books

cases...

cases on the floor ... 163
caverns in minia-

ture

compost

195-200

(it his.) 200

226

197
53-5
49
49
161
66
161-164

a popular passion... 65
cheap ...... 48

delightful ...... 48

may be developed ... 41
must have some

effect on the mind 47
Ferneries as outlooks .. 4S

Ferneries in lieu of ground

glass ......... 48

on balconies ... 184

Fernery, a ground ... ... 210

Fern groups ... ... ... 281-2

house on the leads... 183
Fern-hunting tour, A ... 254-8

Fern! and ... ... ...57-151

introduction to ... 57-75
Fern literature ... ... 65

Fern paradise at home 153-200

introduction to a ... 153-6(1
everywhere... ... 160

in dreary homes ,.. 160
of England ... ... 75

Fern pockets ...... 175, 179, 181

Fern rockery ... ... ... 183

on bed-room window

'wells' ...... 184

Fern stands of clay ... ... 163

of glass ...... 163

of majolica ... ... 163

of porcelain... ... 163

of stone ... ... 163-4

of terra-cotta ... 163-4

of wood ...... 163-4

Fern? what is a ... 215-221

Fern windows .. ... 177-186

Ferns a. cheap means of deco-

ration ... ... ... 50

an admirable adorn-
ment for our
dwellings ... 47
and aquaria 187-193

and Devonshire

scenery 70-5

and climbers (iJhis.) 185

Ferns and Fern culture 213-413

introduction to . 213-4

418

INDEX.

PAGE

Ferns and fish 187-9

and flowers 43, 179, 181
and old trees ... 170

and railways ... 114

and sunshine ... 71

and the rich... ... 158

a paradise of ... 77-90

are favourites with

persons of taste 38
as happy denizens of
our homes and
gardens ... 39

a source of pure

pleasure ... 47

changeable in their

moods ... . . 71

common in the sense

of being plentiful 74
coquet with the sun-
beams ... ... 71

delight in warmth,
moisture and
shade ... ... 71

designed for universal

cultivation ... 66
do not need sun ... 157
differ from one

another... ... 71

effective for decora-
tion ... ... 50

endowed with a ten-
ter and romantic
grace ... ... 65

everywhere... ... 158

fascination of ... 49

fickle in their attach.

ments ... ... 71

are flowerless plants 218
for external decora-
tion ... ... 50

for internal decora-
tion 50

for ornament ... 50

give an inner inex-
pressible pleasure 46
gracefulness and

beauty of ... 65

Ferns—

PAGE

hanging from win-
dow rods ... 158
home of our native 66
in a forest ... ... 225

indescribablv grace-
ful 221

independent of breeze

and sunshine ... 39
in bedrooms 158, 208

in conservatories ... 48

in Epping Forest ... 38

in firegrates... ... 158

in foliage rich and

graceful ... 46

in pollard trunks ... 170

in sunless corners ... 44

in the garret or cellar 40

in the garret window 216

in the hall 158

in the handsome

conservatory ... 216
in the peasant's cot-
tage 216

in the squire's man-
sion 216

in the stately man-
sions .. ... 40

in the tropics ... 39, 42
in tree stumps 165, 170
inviting admiration 39
lend a charm to sun-
less spots ... 46
loving study of ... 37
of Devon ... ... 66

on mantelpieces ... 158
on tables and side-
boards 158

on the landing of the

stairs ... ... 158

on the lawn... .. 171-5

(ill us.) 174

on window-sills 158, 178

passionately loved... 49

popular pursuit of ... 65
refresh the wearied

spirit 40

419

INDEX,

Ferns

repay consideration
rest the tired brain
sensitive to thought-
ful tenderness...
suggest a new source

of pleasure
suggest thoughts of

green fields
of sweet wild flowers
of woods
surroundings of
the most beautiful of
vegetable forms

brighten
homes of
pooi-
freshen

the
the

37
40

37
40

40
40
40
42

4(1

and

beautify our homes 37
will grow anywhere 51
will not droop like

exile 39

Ferny lanes of Devon ... 92

moorlands 109-29

rambles in South

Devon 91-108

Fertilizer, chemical 226

Few homes without plants

or flowers 216

Fibrous roots of Ferns ... 219
Filling up sunless corners ... 44
vacant corners with

Ferns 33

Filmy Ferms 399-403

Fingle Bridge 110, 116, 181-21, 125
Fish and Ferns ... . 187-9

Fish and Fishing ... ... 188

Floral purpose, odds and ends

turned to a ... ... 54

Eloral transformations ... 178
Flower gardening' in town

suburbs 29

Flowerless monotony of city 50

Flowers in backyards ... 29

on the window-sill ... 178

Flower stands... ... ... 178

windows 181

PACK

Food of plants ... ... 204

Forest, stillness cf 42

Forked spleenwort ... 74, 367-8

culture of 368

description of ... 367-8

habitats of 368

Form, beauty of ... ... 65

Form which delights the

eye ... ... ... 47

Fountains and rockwork .. 184
Fresh green plants in every

corner ... ... ... 42

Freshness of colour in Ferns 46

Fronds like balls 220

of Ferns ... ... 219

unrolling ... ... 220

Fuchsias ... ... ... 179

G.

GARDENS IN LARGE TOWN

CENTRES, THE EXCEPTION 29

' Garden of England ' ... 66, 70

Garden soil, rough ... ... 225

Geraniums ... ... ... 179

Gifs of the all-wise Creator 58

Glass over area ' wells ' ... 182

shades 163

stands 163

Glories of the Devonshire

moorland ... ... ... 39

Glorious forms of Fern life ... 65
vegetation of the

earth 62

Glowing heat of the tropics 42

Graceful forms of Ferns ... 47
Gracefulness and beauty of

Ferns ... ... 45-7, 65

Granite boulder ... ... 45

Green lane ! Down a ... 131-51

Green lanes of Devon ... 69, 84

life in the country ... 37

Green spleenwort ... ... 383-4

culture of 384

description of ... 383-4

habitats of 383

Ground fernery 210

420

INDEX.

Groups, Fern .........

Growing- position of Ferns ...
Growth of cottage garden-
ing-... ... ... ...

Guardian on Ferns ... ...

GYMNOGRAMMA lepto-

PACK

2S1-2
225

47
51-2

263-4

culture of ..... 264
description of ... 263-4
habitats of ...... 264

H.

HALF. LIGHTED WINDOWS ... 183

Hanging Fern baskets ... 175
Fern pots ... ... 175

Hard Fern 107, 117, 126, 207-8,

248-51
culture of ...... 250-1

description of ...248-50
distribution of ... 250
habitats of ...... 248-50

Hardness and monotony of

business ... ... ... 46

of everv-day life ... 46

Hard Prickly Shield Fern ... 308-10
culture of ...... 310

description of ...308-10
distribution of ... 310
habitats of ...... 310

Hardy Ferns and badly-

lighted rooms ... ... 48

Hartstongue 80-82, 100, 102-3,

105, 108, 112, 117, 135, 139,

166-67, 239-42

culture of ... ... 242

description of ...239-41
distribution of ... 239
habitats of ...... 241-2

Hay scented Buckler Fern

74, 347-9
a search for... ... 347-8

culture of ...... 350

description of ... 347-50
distribution of ... 347
habitats of .. 347

PACK

225

196
45
218
104

Heavy subsoils f.. ....

Hedge-bank fissures... ...

' Hidden by Ferns and mosses

Hidden seed ........

High roads of Devon ...

Hillman, Charles, Fern col-

lector ...... 347, 359

Hills of Devon, rugged bold-

ness of ......... 69

Holly Fern ......... 314-6

culture of ...... 316

description of ... 314-6

distribution of ... 315

Home of our Native Ferns... 66

Horseman's steps ... 110, 125-6

Household tastes flowerward 180

Hygienic influence of plants

in rooms ...... 201-211

Introduction to ... 201-2

HYMENOPHYLLUM, genus 399

tunbridgense ... ... 400-1

culture of ...... 403

description of ... 400-1

distribution of ... 400

habitats of ...... 400

unilaterale ... ... 402-3

culture of ...... 403

description of ... 402

habitats of ... ... 402-3

I.

IMITATING NATURAL ROCK ... 169

rustic woodwork ... 165

Imitation of Nature ... ... 193

Increase in window gardeners 177

Indulging sentiment ... ... 41

Indusia of Ferns ... ... 319

Influence of plants in rooms 203-11

Inner paradise of Ferns ... 138
Inoculated with passion for

Ferns ......... 49

Insects and plants ... ... 187

Interdependence of animals

and plants ... ... 203

Interest taken in culture of

Ferns ... ... 47

421

INDEX.

PAGE

45

Ivy and hardy Ferns...

J-

JOSEPH WOODS, BOTANIST... 331

L.

LADY FERN IN Waverley ... 38

Lady Fern 88-9. 107, 117, 125-6,

139-40, 150, 166-67, 188

culture of 246-7

description of ... 243-5

habitats of 245-6

purple stemmed ... 139

Lanceolate spleenwort 74, 127-8

culture of 379-80

description of .. 377-8

distribution of ... 378

habitats of 378-9

Landscapes of Devon .. 70

Lane, a boulder ... ... 129

a green and ferny ... 139-51

Lane ! down a green ... 131-51

Lane within a lane ... ... 137

Language of Ferns ... ... 66

of flowers ... ... 66

of science ... ... 66

a language for the

few ' 66

LASTREA, genus 339

dilatata 344-6

culture of 346

description of ... 344-6

distribution of ... 346

habitats of 346

filix-mas 340-4

culture of 343-4

description of ... 340-3

distribution of ... 340

habitats of 340

montana .... ... 354-7

culture of ... ... 357

description of ... 354-6

distribution of ... 357

habitats of ,. . 356-7

PAGE;

LASTREA recurva ... ...347-5O

culture of ... ... 35O

description of ...347-50*
distribution of ... 347

habitats of 347

rigida 350-1

culture of ... ... 351

description of ... 350-1
distribution of .. 350"

habitats of 35O

spinidosa . . ... 352-4

culture of 353-4

description of ... 352-3-

habitats of 353-

thelypteris ... 357-361

culture of 360-1

description of 357-8, 360

habitats of ... 357-8, 36O

Lateral unrolling of fronds... 221

Lawn, Ferns on the ... ... 171-5

' Lawn ' definition of... ... 172

'Leads,' the 183

Fern-house on the ... 183-
rockery on the ... 183

Leaflets of fronds 220-

Leaf-mould 224

furnishes nutriment 225

substitute for ... 226-

Leaves of Ferns .. ... 219

respiration of ... 205-6

stomates in ... 205-6-

Light subsoils... ... ... 225-

Limestone Polypody... 299, 301

culture of 301

description of 299-300-

distribution of ... 301

habitats of ... 299, 301

Little Adders-tongue ... 277-9"

culture of 279

description of ... 277-8-
distribution of ... 277

habitats of 277

Lloyd's Newspaper on Ferns

and the poor ... ... 52-3"

Loam , 225-

Lobes of fronds 220-

Logan rock 127, 38(>

422

INDEX.

PAGE

Londoners' flowers ... ... 47

London outlooks ... ... 172

Loveliness of Devonshire

scenery ... ... -... 69

Love of Ferns a popular

passion ... ... ... 48

of the beautiful in

Nature y. ... 46

Loving- study of Ferns ... 37-8
' Lush Greenery ' of tropical

forests .." 42

Lustleigh * • j* 129

Cleave 110, 126-7, 380

M.

MAKING THE MOST OF COM-
MON THINGS 53

Male Fern 82, 100, 105, 107, 117,

124, 126, 135-6, 139-40, 144,

147. 149, 340-4

culture of

description of

distribution of

habitats of ...

Manley's Fish and Fishing

4 Many-footed ' Ferns

Marsh Buckler Fern ..

a search for...
culture of
description ...
habitats of ...
Marshy sites of peat...
Marvellous illustration

patience and skill
May, the joyous month

(ittus.) '

Means to the end
Midribs of fronds
4 Midsummer, the time is '

(illits.)

Midwinter, a miniature fern-

343-4
340-2
340
340

188
285-6
74, 127
357-61
...358-60
... 360-1
357-8, 360
357-8, 360
... 229
of

54
of

91

161-170
220

76
159

PAG

Mind and body ... ... 211

Mingling of Ferns and

Flowers ... ... .... 45

Miniature aquarium .. ... 19O

Miniature Fern Caverns 195, 20O

at home 198

in rooms .. ... 21O
Miniature fernery in mid-
winter 159

Miniature Fern paradises 48, 180

fountains in rooms... 21O

Moonwort ... 74, 281, 272-3

culture of ... ... 273

description of ... 272-3
distribution of ... 272

habitats of 273

Moorlands of Devon... ... 69

Moorlands' the ferny ... 109-29

Moorland wilds ... ... 211

Moretonhampstead 110, 115-6, 125
Morning- journals on Ferns ... 47-9
Moss and lichen ... ... 197-8

Mossy nest for Ferns ... 167

Mountain Bladder Fern ... 324-7

culture of ... ... 326-7

description of ... 324-6

distribution of ... 324

Mountain Buckler Fern 74, 125-6

257-8, 354-7

culture of ... ... 35 1

description of ... 354-6
distribution of ... 357

habitats of 356-7

Mountain Parsley Fern ... 265-7
culture of ... ... 267

description of ... 265-7
distribution of .... 265-7

habitats of 267

Mountain Potypody ... ... 292-5

culture of ... ... 294-5

description of ... 292-4

distribution of ... 294

habitats of ... 292, 294

Mountain side, the (ill us.} ... 109

Musk plants ... .. ... 179

423

INDEX.

N.

PAGE

NATIVE FERNS, HOME OF OUR 66
Native grace and beauty of

Ferns 216

Nature, admiring- and loving-
communion with ... 46

book of 62

conquers everywhere

in Devon ... 114
forms of magnifi-
cence and beauty

in 46

is never still ... 197
love of the beauti-
ful in 46

Nature's abundant plant

wealth 187

clouds and shadows 46

forests 46

great seas ... ... 46

mountain ranges ... 46
rising and setting

suns ... ... 46

running seas ... 46

valuable lessons ... 226

Newton Abbot ... 110, 115

Noble cliffs of Devon ... 69

Noble growing Ferns (illus.

Frontispiece} ... ... 137

North Bovey River 126

No monotony in Devon ... 69

Nooks and rockeries for Ferns 167
No plants exceed Ferns in
beauty, gracefulness and

variety ... ... ... 46

North seaboard of Devon ... 69

No out-look without Ferns .. 186

Number of Devonshire Ferns 70

Nutcracker rock 127

O.

OAK FERN 295-8

Oaktree figure in Bracken ... 235

PAGE

Oblong Woodsia 332-3

culture of 333

description of ... 332-3

distribution of ... 333

Odds and ends turned to a

floral purpose ... ... 54

One-sided Filmy Fern ... 402-3

culture of 403

description of ... 402

habitats of 402-3

' Only a leaf ' 205

Open spaces in towns ... 28

OPIOGLOSSUM Iitsilanicum 277-9

culture of 279

description of ... 277-8

distribution of ... 277

habitats of ... ... 277

vulgahiHi ... ... 274-(i

culture of ... .. 275-0

description of ... 274-5

distribution of .. 275

habitats of 274-6

Organic form, subtle grace of 48

tender beauty of ... 48

OSMUNDA recall's 251-8

description of ... 251-2

253-4

habitats of ... 251, 254

Outlooks on leads 182

Oxygen and carbon inspired

by plants 204

Oxygen respired by plants ... 206

P.

PARADISE, A WORKING MAN'S 53-5

Paradise of Ferns, a ... 77-00

an inner ... ... 138-51

Paradise of moss and Ferns, a 198

Peat 224

furnishes moisture... 225
Peculiar attractions of Fern

culture ... ... ... 49

charm of Devon ... 69

elegance of Ferns... 220

growth of Ferns ... 221)

424

INDEX.

PAGE

Perishing of green fields ... 47
Perpendicular unrolling of

fronds 221

Perspiration of plants ... 208

Philanthropic considerations 50-1

Physical enjoyment ,.. ... 58

Pinnules of fronds ... ... 220

Plantless corners .. ... 44

Plants in rooms .. ...201-11

or flowers in pots ... 29

perspire ... ... 208

primary food of ... 204

Plate 1 (Single British Ferns) 227

2 (The Polypodies) ... 283

3 (The Shield Ferns) ... 305

4 (The Bladder Ferns) 317

5 (The.Woodsias) ... 329

6 (The Buckler Ferns) 337

7 (The Spleenworts) ... 363

8 (The Filmy Ferns) ... 397
Pleasure which is within the

reach of all 33

Pockets for Ferns ...175, 179, 181
Polypodies, The ... 285-363

POLYPODIUM, genus ... 285-6

alpestre 302-3

culture of 303

description of ... 302-3

distribution of ... 303

habitats of 303

calcareum ... 299-301

culture of 301

description of 299-300

distribution of ... 301
habitats of ... 299, 301

dryopteris 295-8

culture of 298

description of ... 295-8

distribution of ... 296

habitats or 296

phegopteris 292-5

culture of 294-5

description of ... 292-4

distribution of ... 294

habitats of .. . 292-4

PAGE

POLYPODIUM vulgare... .. 286-9
culture of ... 287-9, 291
description of ...286-91

distribution of ... 289^

habitats of 289

POLYSTICHUM, genus ... 351

aculeatum 308-9

culture of 316

description of ... 308-10

distribution of ... 310

habitats of 310

angulare ... ... 343-6

culture of 313

description of 311-314

distribution of .. 311

habitats of 311

lonchitis 314-&

culture of 316

description of ... 314-6

distribution of ... 56

Popular love of green life ... 28
want of trees, plants,

&c

Pores of leaves

Portable fernery and aqua-
rium

Position of Ferns

Practicability of Fern culture

Prickly-toothed Buckler Fern 352-4

culture of 353-4

description of ... 352-3

habitats of 353

Primary rachis in Ferns ... 220

Professional writer on Ferns 49-51

29
205

192
217

50-

PTERIS aquilina ...
culture of ...
description of
habitats of ...

Public garden, A tiny

Public parks and gardens

Pulhamite rockery

Pursuit of Ferns

..229-38
.. 236-8
.. 231-5
.. 230-1

54

.. 28-9
168-170

49

Q-

QUADRUPEDS and plants ... 187
Quarterly reviewers on Ferns 45-7

425

INDEX.

R.

RACHIS in Ferns

Recesses for Ferns

Refining influence c
tion

Relationship in 1
w'orld

Remedy for the mo
the City ...

Reposing the eye with
contemplation
greenery ...

Reproduction of
charms of the

Respiration of leaves

Rhizomas of Ferns

Rigid Buckler Fern
culture of
description of
distribution of
habitats of

Riverside ramble in

River, the sight of

Rockery for Ferns

Rocks and Ferns
nies

Rock Spleenwort
culture of
description of
distribution of
habitats of

Rockwork on '

Root-fibres

Rootstocks of Ferns...

Rough garden soil

Royal Fern ...

a search for...
description of
habitats of ...

Rue leaved Spleenwort
culture of
description of
distribution of
habitats of

Rustic fernery

»•

s.

PAGE

PAGE

220

SANDY LOAM 225

167

Saturday Reviewer on Fern

of civiliza

culture 36-8

46

Saw-edged fronds ... ... 220

the Fern

Scales of Ferns 219

281

Scalloped fronds ... ... 220

>notony of

Scaly Spleen wort ...89, 102, 106,

50

392-6

with the

a search for 394-5

of forest

culture of 396

42

description of ... 392-4

the floral

habitats of ... 392-3, 395-6

e country

51

Scenery of Devon (illus.) ... 67

res

205-6

Science, language of ... 66

..

232

Scientific writers ... ... 66

...

350-1

SCOLOPENDIUM vulgare ... 239-42

351

culture of 242

lof

350-1

description of ,. 239-41

lof

350

distribution of ... 239

350

habitats of 241-2

i Devon...

121-5

Screens of Ferns ... ... 210

* a (illus.)

56

of moss ... ... 210

173

of trailing- ivy ... 210

in balco-

Seaboard of Devon .. ... 69

184

Sea Spleenwort ... 73, 388-92

...

381-3

a search for... ... 390-1

382-3

culture of 391-2

1 Of

382

description of ...389-90

n of

381

habitats of ..." ... 388-9

f

381

Secret of Fern growth ... 225-6

leads' ...

184

Seed cases of Ferns... ... 66

224

Seeds, countless myriads of 66

is...

219

without flowers ... 218

225

Shade and verdure in our

251-8

streets 50

>r...

254-8

Shady bed-room windows .,. 184

lof

251-4

corners for Ferns ... 172-3

251, 254

crevices for Ferns... 172

kvort

370-2

windows .. 179, 183

372

Shady woods 211

1 Of

370-2

Shield Ferns 307-316

n of

370

Shrubs, &c., in pots 29

370-1

Simple fronds ... ... ... 220

...

45

unrolling .. ... 220

426

INDEX.

PAGE

Single British Ferns .. ...229-79

(illus.) 221

Singular fascination of Ferns 49

Skylight windows 184

Societies for encouraging cot-
tage gardening ... ... 47

Soft Prickly Shield Fern 83, 105,
117, 135, 140, 144, 311-14

culture of 313

description of 311-13, 314
distribution of ... 311

habitats of 311

Soil for Ferns 223-6

South Devon, Ferny rambles

in 91-108

South seaboard of Devon ... 69
Souvenirs of agreeable wan-
derings afield ... ... 37

Spectator on Ferns and Fern

culture 38-45

Spiral unrolling in fronds ... 220

Spleenworts, The 365-96

Spontaneous influences of

vegetable life 114

Stalks of Ferns 219

Standard on Ferns 46-7

Staverton Bridge ... 104, 106

Stillness of the Forest ... 42

Stripes of Ferns ... ... 219

Stomates in leaves ... ... 205

Stones for rockery ... ... 175

Study of Ferns only involves

observation ... ... 37

Subsoils, heavy and light ... 225
Substitutes for leaf-mould ... 226
Subtle grace of organic form 48
Suburban flowers, shrubs,

and trees ... .. .. 178

villa made charming 45

Summer-house and Ferns ... 173-4

(illus.} 174

Sunbeams in a London court 42
Sunless and arid spots ren-
dered charming... ... 46

corners, filling up ... 44
windows ... ... 180-1

Sunny windows ... ... 180-1

Surroundings of Ferns
Suspending cords

T.

PAGE

42

184

TEEMING LIFE OF FOREST

GREENERY ... ... 42

Teigngrace ... ... ... 110

Teign, the 119-25

Tender and romantic grace 65
beauty of organic

form 48

hues of grass and

Ferns . ... 42

Terra cotta stands and pots... 162
Three-branched Polypody ... 295-8

culture of 298

description of ... 295-8
distribution of ... 296

habitats of 296

Totnes 95-7, 103, 107-8, 110, 118
(illus.) 145, 347, 394-5

Totnes Down Hill 96

Totnes, suburbs of 98

Tourist in a country lane ... 65
Town dwellers pine for the

country ... . ... 30

Transplanted Ferns will glad-
den home interiors ... 38
Treeless monotony of the

city 50

Tree stumps for Ferns ... 165

TRICHOMANES radicans ... 268-7

culture of ... ... 271

description of ... 269-71
distribution of ... 269

habitats of 268-9

Trout streams 193

True Maidenhair ... 73, 259-63

culture of 261-3

description of ... 259-60
distribution of ... 259

habitats of 259-60

Tunbridge Filmy Fern 74, 127, 400-1

culture of 413

description of ... 400-1

427

INDEX.

Tunbridge Filmy Ferns-
distribution of
habitats of .

u.

UNCULTIVATED CORNERS IN
TOWN SUBURBS ... ..«
filling up of... ', ...
Universal culture of Ferns ...
Unoccupied spaces ..
Unrolling of fronds ...
in alternation

Useless backyards made into
Fern paradises ...

V.

PAGE

400
400

29

44

6G

175

220-1

221

48

VALLEY, A DEVONIAN ... 115

Valleys of Devon 69

Variety of Devonshire Ferns 70

of Devonshire scenery 69

of Ferns ... .. 46

Vegetable fibres 229

soils 229

Vegetation of Devon ... 69
Verdure and shade in our

streets 50

Vigorous life of forest greenery 42

Virgin cork ... 167-8, 170, 179, 191

Virginian creeper ... ... 175

Vital air of animals ... ... 203

Votaries of Fern culture ... 49

w.

WALL RUE 87-8, 102, 106, 108, 113,

370-2
Wandering through Ferny

lanes 221

PAGE

'Wells,' area 180

Westminster Review, on

Ferns ... ... ... 47

What is a Fern ? 215-21

leaf-mould? 224

loam? 225

peat? 224

Where the Lady Fern grows

strongest 38

Where to obtain soil for

Ferns 223-6

Wilson's Filmy Fern 74, 127, 402-3
Window, 'area' ... ... 179

conservatory ... 178

Window gardening 26-8, 44, 47-8,

51-2, 177, 180, 263

Windows, Fern ..< ... 177-86

half-lighted 183

shady 7;;. ...179-83

skylight 184

Wire baskets (illus.) 166-84

Wistaria 178

Woodland dells 195

WOODSIA genus 331

Woodsias, the 331-5

WOODSIA alp in a ... ... 334-5

culture of 335

description of ... 334

habitats of 334

ilvensis 332-3

culture of 333

description of ... 332-3

'distribution of ... 333

Woods of Devon ... ... 69

Wood, the wild paths of a

(tlltts) 59

Workfolk have an overween-
ing love of flowers ... 52
have few artistic

tastes 52

Working man's ' paradise,' a 53-5

THE END.

428

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Are issued to CORRIS, ABERLLEFENNY, and to Tal-y-llyn Lake and back via Corris,

during the Summer months from Aberystwyth, Borth, Aberdovey, Towyn, Barmouth,

Dolgelley, Criccieth, Pwllheli, etc., also to Tal-y-llyn Lake and back (via Corris) from Whit-

church, Oswestry, Welshpool, Newtown, Llanidloes, Moat Lane, etc.

PICNICS, SCHOOL

A delightful District for
PARTIES, FISHING, EXPLORING OR MOUNTAINEERING.

NEARLY EVERY VARIETY OF FERN IN WILD PROFUSION.

"One of the most beautiful valleys in Wales." — Gossiping Guide to Wales.

GENERAL MANAGER'S OFFICE,

CORRIS, MERIONETH.

J. R.

DIX,

General Manager.

THE

'Country trees' pictorial,
Descriptive

Possessing the Novel Feature of Pictures with
Descriptions.

7 Cards *l£S^ - Price 6d.

SERIES NOW READY.
"The Fern Paradise Post Cards"

Including figures of all the species (42) of British Ferns,
beautifully produced.

-

ALSO NOW READY.
"In and Out of the Green Lanes of Devon,"

Photographic Pictures of actual scenes with

descriptions by
FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH.

FIRST SERIES NOW READY.

T (Sards in pictorial envelope, fPriee Qd.

LONDON :
THE COUNTRY PRESS, 19, BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, W.

FUR NESS RAILWAY.

20

STEAM YACHT AND COACH

- TOURS THROUGH THE

- English Lakeland . .

DAILY during JUNE, JULY, AUGUST and SEPTEMBER.

REDUCTION OF FARES.

No. i. Outer Circular Tour, embracing- Windermere Lake, Furness Abbey, and Coniston

— Fare from 5/3.
No. 2. Inner Circular Tour, embracing Furness Abbey, Coniston Lake (Gondola), and

Crake Valley. — Fare from 3/3.
No. 3. Grange and Windermere Circular Tour, embracing Grange, Arnside, Kendal, and

Windermere Lake. — Fare from 2/9.
No. 4. Middle Circular Tour, embracing Windermere Lake, the Crake Valley, and Coniston

Lake. — Fare from 5/9.
No. 5. Red Bank and Grasmere Tour, via Ambleside and Skelwith Force, returning via

Rydal Water. — Fare from 2/9.
No. 6. Thiflmere, Grasmere and Windermere Tour.— via Ambleside, Clappersgate, and

Red Bank, and round Thirlmere Lake. — Fare from 5/-.
No. 7. The Four Lakes Circular Tour, viz. : — Coniston, Grasmere, Rydal, and Windermere.

— Fare from 5/9.
No. 8. Coniston to Coniston Tour, via Red Bank, Grasmere, and Ambleside, returning by

Coach to Coniston.— Fare from 4/6.
No. 9. Tarn Hows Tour, via Ambleside and Coniston returning by Tilberthwaite and

Elterwater. — Fare from 4/6.
No. 10. Round the Langdales and Dungeon Ghyll Tour, via Ambleside, Colwith Force

Grasmere, and Rydal. — Fare from $/-.
No. n. Ullswater Tour, via Ambleside, Kirkstone Pass, and Brothers Water, returning via

the Vale of Troutbeck and Lowwood. — Fare from 5/6.
No. 12. Derwentwater (Keswick) Tour, via Ambleside, Grasmere, and Thirlmere. — Fare

from 6/-.
No. 13. The Five Lakes Circular Tour, viz. : — Windermere, Rydal, Grasmere, Thirlmere, and

Derwentwater. — Fare from n/6.

No. 14. Wastwater Tour, via Seascale and Gosforth. — Fare from 4/6.
No. 15. The Six Lakes Circular Tour, viz. : — Windermere, Rydal, Grasmere, Thirlmere,

Derwentwater and Ullswater. — Fare from i2/
No. 16. The Duddon Valley Tour, via Broughton-in-Furness, Ulpha and Seathwaite. —

Fare from 3/9.
*No. 17. The Three Waterfalls Tour (Colwith, Dungeon Ghyll and Skelwirth) via Coniston

and the Langdales. — Fare from 4/9.
^No. 18. Ennerdale Lake and Calder Abbey Tour, via Seascale, Gosforth, and Cold Fell.—

Fare from 4/6.
No 19. Across the Ferry Tour, via Lake Side, Esthwaite Water, Hawkshead, and Storrs

Hall.— Fare from 3/6.
No. 20. Cartmel Priory and Newby Bridge Tour, via Windermere (Lake Side), Blackbarrow

Falls, Holkcr Park and Grange. — Fare from 3/,
*Commence July ist.

For further particulars see "TOURS THROUGH LAKELAND" Pamphlets, to be had
gratis at all Furness Railway Stations, of Mr. F. J. Ramsden, Superintendent of the Line,
Barrow-in-Furness ; at Messrs. Thos. Cook & Sons, and the Polytechnic Institute (Regent St.,
W.), or Messrs. W. H. Smith & Sons' Principal Bookstalls, price ^d.
THE PALETTE ALBUM, illustrating the above Tours, in "colours, can be obtained at the

principal Railwav Bookstalls, price 6d.

PICTURE POSTCARDS OF THE LAKE DISTRICT

May be obtained at any Station on the Furness Railway, and on the Company's Steamers ; also
at Furness Abbey Hotel and the Principal Bookstalls. Reduced price, 12 cards for 6d.

g^- BARROW with FLEETWOOD for BLACKPOOL.

During the summer months the Furness Railway Company's Paddle Steamer "Lady Margaret"
or " Lady Evelyn," will run between Barrow and Fleetwood for Blackpool. Full particulars as
to sailings and Fares, &c., can be obtained on application to the Superintendent of the Line,
Barrow-m-Fufness, or from Messrs. Thomas Cook & Sons, Agents ; Mr. S. Bancroft, Victoria
Street; Mr. R. E. Hargreaves, 26 Coronation Street; and Mr. W. Marshall, n. South Parade,
South Shore, Blackpool.

ALFRED ASLETT,

Barrow-in-Furness, 1905, Secretary and Genet al Manager.

KEEP COPIES OF YOUR LETTERS!

: 'THE COUNTRY PRESS'

Pocket Letter Copying Pad,
Price 6d.

WITH THE

*C.P.' Pocket Copying Book

(Indexed)
With Water Brush PHCC 2/~

Saving the COSX of a Copying Press!
And the XIME occupied in using one.

The whole apparatus in a strong
Cartridge Envelope.

Of all Stationers, or Post Free for the Price, 2/6

• . from . •

XHe COUNTRY PRESS,

19, Ball Street, Kensington, London, W.

IV.

KING OF TOBACCOS.

KING OF TOBACCOS.

V.

New Edition in Preparation.

TREES AND FERNS.

BY FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH.

"TREES AND FERNS" contains num'rous Illustrations, including Landscapes by
W. H. J. BOOT, BIRKET FOSTER, HARRISON WEIR, E. M. WKW^ERIS, " E. V. B.' «*V
other emiwx-t A rtists.

Westminster Review

" A welcome introduction to a knowledge of trees and ferns. . . . We trust it may lead
many readers to seek the fuHer pleasure which may be found in the larger works from V"iioh
these extracts have been gleaned."

Land and Water.
*' A charming little volume."

Scotsman.

" Mr. Heath's iove o*" Nature and botanical enthusiasm are contagions, while he has an
intimate acquaintance with his subject, and unmistakable skill in exposition. The volume i*
beautified by numerous woodcuts from the designs of eminent artists."

LONDON :
THE COUNTRY PRESS, 19, BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, W.

PEASANT LI FE

IN THE WEST OF ENOLAND,
BY FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH.

New Edition in Preparation.

British Quarterly Review (January, 1881).

"His picturesque power, his fine sympathy with the peasant, and his desire to improve the
condition or these strugglers, together with his poetic enthusiasm for nature, everywhere
appear. He writes with zest ; there is an open-air feeling about his pages, and that is exactly
what is wanted in these days to attract people to find in nature some subject of joy that may
make the sordid life in towns tolerable. Mr. Heath thus aims at bringing great classes
nearer to each other, in sympathy at least, and by the bonds of nature-love uniting the
workers of the town and the workers of the country, while improving the material condition
of both ; and he deserves in such a work all success and praise."

Tablet.

" His great art is description. He has taken a wide field of observation, and arranged r.
mass of statistics iclative to the habits, occupations, wages, dwellings, wants, vices, and
education of the peasantry. . . Full of valuable hints and lively pictures of peasant life."

.

LONDON :

THE COUNTRY PRESS, 19, BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, W.

vi.

._

fieaib's Successful harmless. Castclcss Cure Tor

Largely used by many members of the Royal families of Europe.
In Bottles with directions, post free 1/7, 2/10 & 4/8.

The following Testimonials ivill show its vahte. They are in every
case unsought.

TESTIMONIALS.

Letter from EDWARD HERON-ALLEN, Esq.

3, NORTHWICK TERRACE, N.W.,

25th September, 1899

GENTLEMEN, — I have all my life been such a shockingly bad sailor that I am a bye-
word among my friends. I have tried every remedy I have come across or been
recommended, but have bitterly regretted them all. On the first night of this recent gale
I crossed from Rotterdam to Harwich, and much against my will was persuaded to take
two pinches of your Powder, and I positively en-oyed the voyage. I send you this
Testimonial with permission to use it as you like. I am only sorry to think that people
who know how I suffered will find it impossible to believe it.'in fact I can hardly believe
it myself. Yours trulv,

Messrs. HEATH &* Co. EDWARD HERON-ALLEN.

The following received zsth August, 1900.

GENTLEMEN, — I am glad to inform you that your Sea Sickness Cure still keeps up
its 'reputation. I have crossed half a dozen times since I wrote you last and have not
been sick. Please send me three more bottles. Yours trulv,

E." HERON-ALLEN.

Letter from Capt. J. G. MORDUE, Barque " Elizabeth Graham."

OTAGO, NEW ZEALAND.

DEAR SIR, — Kindly hand the enclosed Testimonial to Messrs. Heath with my best
thanks for the bottle of Sea Sickness Remedy that they presented me with before leaving
London. It is truly a perfect remedy 'for Sea Sickness, and, on future voyages with
passengers, I shall never be without it. When I received it from Messrs. Heath I
certainly had very little faith in it, as I had never yet met with a cure for that much-
dreaded and, in manv instances, fatal malady on sea voyages during my experience ot
forty years of sea life ; but it assuredly is a perfect remedy and no mistake.

I am, dear Sir, yours faithfully,
J. GREENWAY, Esq., SHAW, SAVILL & Co. J. G~ MORDUE.

Letter from Lieutenant-General COLIN MACKENZIE, C.B.

January ist, 18^8.

GENTLEMEN, — I have much pleasure in informing you that your remedy for Sea
Sickness has proved a decided success. A grandson of mine who took it was in the Bay
of Biscay, on his way toCevlon, on the isth October last, during that tremendous storm,
and although a very l.ad sailor, he remained perfectly well ; and it was equally efficacious
in the case of a fellow passenger of his who was suffering. Other members of my
family have also proved the excellence of your Powder. I have given it to many, and
have not heard of a single instance of its failure. You are at liberty to make any use
you please of this letter. I am, faithfully yours,

COLIN MACKENZIE, Lieut.-General.

Letter from Lieutenant C. WARDE.

September 24th, i8~g.

GENTLEMEN, — As I have benefited so very much by your Medicine for Sea Sickness,
I think it only right to let you know my experience of it. I have travelled upwards ot
twenty-five thousand miles by sea, and never been free from the effects of Sea Sickness
until I tried your medicine, which I have done on several occasions of short journeys
with the most satisfactory results. As a rule, the slightest motion affects me, but when-
ever, on each occasion of my using your Medicine other people suffered, I experienced a
total immunity from any uncomfortable sensation, and consequently, from my present
experience of it, I am inclined to think that it is quite infalliable.

Faithfully yours,

C. WARDE, Lieut., igth Hussars.

PREPARED BY

(l. HEflTU & Co., 114, Ebury Street, London, s.w.

vn.

In preparation, New and Cheaper Edition of

"AUTUMNAL LEAVES,"

FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH.

See Specimen of Illustrations below.

AUTUMN VIEW, BRAMBLE HILL. — From "Autumnal Leaves."

"Perhaps the most novel and pleasing- .of all-' the numerous books
Mr. Francis George Heath has written." — Harpers Magazine.

LONDON :
THE COUNTRY PRESS, 19 BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, W.

viii.

THE

Dade Loose - Leaf

Ledger

is a revolution in Book-keeping methods.
It has received high commendation from
experts in accounting, and is used by many
leading business houses in the United
Kingdom and the Colonies. It

will cost you nothing

to obtain full particulars from the Proprietors
of the Patents.

SPICER BROTHERS, Ltd.,

DEPT. F.P.
/9, NEW BRIDGE STREET, B.C.

ix

NEW AND CHEAPER EDITION IN PREPARATION.

THE FERN WORLD.

BY FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH,

AUTHOR OF " OUR WOODLAND TREES," "THE FHRN PARADISE," "THE ENGLISH
PEASANTRY," "THE 'ROMANCE 'OF PEASANT LIFE," &c., &c.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

'THE FERN WORLD" ts Illustrated by Twelve Coloured Plates— giving complete
figures (sixty-four in all) of .every species of British Fern, specially printed from
Nature, and executed in the best style of Chromo- Lithography ; by several Full-page
Rngravings of some of the choicest of Devonshire Scenery ; by a Permanent Photo-
graphic Frontispiece ; and by Woodcuts.

CONTENTS.
PART I.

The Fern "World.— Introduction— The Germs of Fern Life— Conditions of Growth-
Structure— Classification — Distribution— Uses— The Folk-lore of Ferns.

PART II.

Fern Culture. — Introduction — Soil and Aspect — General Treatment— Propagation — A
Fern Valley— Subterranean Fern Culture— A Fern Garden— Fern Rockery— A Fern
House— Pot Culture of Ferns— Ferns at Home.

PART III.

Fem Hunting.— Introduction— Fern Holidays— Fem Collecting— Frond Gathering.

PART IV.

Some Rambles through Fernland.— Introduction— Down a Combe to the Sea—
The Valleys of the Lyn— The Valley of the Rocks— Clovelly- Sea and Sky, and Waving
green — Torbay — The South-east Coast of Devon — The Home of the Sea Fern.

PART V.

British Ferns : their Description, Distribution, and Culture.- Introduction
—The Bracken— The Hartstongue— The Lady Fern--The Hard Fern— The Royal Fern
— The True Maidenhair — The Annual Maidenhair— The Mountain Parsley Fern — The
Bristle Fern — The Moonwort — Tne Adders-tongue — The Little Adders-tongue — The
Common Polypody — The Mountain Polypody — The Three-branched Polypody — The
Limestone Polypody— The Alpine Polypody— The Hard Prickly Shield Fern— The Soft
Prickly Shield Fern— The Holly Fern - The Brittle Bladder Fern— The Alpine Bladder
Fern— The Mountain Bladder Fern -The Oblong Woodsia— The Alpine Woodsia- The
Male Fern— The Broad Buckler Fern— The Hay-scented Buckler Fern -The Rigid
Buckler Fern— The Crested Buckler Fern— The Prickly-toothed Buckler Fern -The
Mountain Buckler Fern — The Marsh Buckler Fern — The Forked Spleenwort — The
Alternate Spleenwort — The Rue-leaved Spleenwort— The Black Maidenhair Spleenwort
— The Lanceolate Spleenwort — The Rock Spleenwort — The Green Spleenwort — The
Common Maidenhair Spleenwort — The Sea Spleenwort — The Scaly Spleenwort — The
Tunbridge Filmy Fern -The One sided Filmy Fern.

SOME PRESS OPINIONS OF "THE FERN WORLD."

A thenceum.

" Mr. Heath has really given us good, well-written descriptions of our native ferns, with
indications of their habitats, the conditions under which they grow naturally, and under which
they may be cultivated."

LONDON :
THE COUNTRY PRESS, 19, BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, W.

X.

SOME PRESS OPINIONS OF "THE FERN WORLD" (continued).

Saturday Review.

". . . The book may be said to comprise, in a compact, and at any rate 'knapsack-fitting*
form, the whole grammar and dictionary of the fern world. ... In page 39 an insight may
be gained into the gradual formation of a 'fern-islet by a process of Nature which is charmingly
described. . . . A delightful addition to the naturalist's library "

British Quarterly Review.

"The book is beautifully illustrated. The ferns are photographed and coloured with an
excellency that we have never seen surpassed. The volume is a very charming one, and
is as fascinating for the general reader as it is useful for the amateur cultivator. Vivid and
felicitous descriptions of natural scenery, touches of poetry, accounts of rambles, a pervading
glow of enthusiasm, and an easy, sparkling style, combine with the useful information to make
the volume one th;t* even those most insensible to the charms of Nature will be glad to possess.

V/orld.

" It is equally charming and useful. No work of the kind could advance a more, substantial
claim to popularity of the best kind. It is agreeably free .from technical terminology, yet its
descriptions of, vai ious growths are-accurate enough to satisfy the most scientific of botanists.
The same may be said of Mr. Heath's account of the peculiarities of different ferns, a subject
which he handles ; in lovingly as he does skilfully. . . ."

Standard.

'' The execution of this work is in every way worthy of the past fame and the present aims
of the author. "

Morning Post.

" The author of ' The Fern World ' is already well known by former books as an enthusiastic
lover of Nature, his special study being the beautiful form of the fern in all of its numerous
and always attractive varieties. The illustrations in this book are simply perfection. . . .
Mr. Heath warms into eloquence, and groups together picturesque details, which convey quite
a little ' vignette ' to the mind's eye. His language is poetic, his colouring fresh. . . . He has
produced a very beautiful volume, abounding in knowledge of his pleasant theme, rich in
illustrations, and presented to the botanic student and the reading world in general in an
elegant and attractive form. Mr. Heath leads us out into cool, shady nooks, and ' pleasant
places,' redolent of enjoyment to men of pure thought and poetic fancies."

Mr. GEORGE HENSLOW, in Academy.

"... Lovers of ferns will hail with delight another and charming volume from the pen of
Mr. Heath. Whether we regard the cover stamped all over with pretty ferns, or the pictorial
embellishments within ... or, on the other hand, the excellent treatment of the subject,
the volume is an attractive one. We heartily recommend it to the reader."

Spectator.

" Many lovers of the quieter aspects of Nature will thank us for directing their attention to
Mr. Heath's ' Fern World/"

Illustrated London News.

'"The Fern World' is both instructive and delightful in the highest degree, combining
exact botanical description with the most inviting and enchanting accounts of many a ramble
in the sweetest rural haunts. . . . But in this delightful book the study of botanical, generic,
and specific varieties has obtained a fascinating and most helpful method of representation.
This is done by means of twelve of the finest plates, printed by Messrs. Leighton Brothers
from photographs of fronds, collected and grouped by the author, which are unquestionably
the most beautiful, vivid, and faithful pictures of plant-life that have ever yet appeared in any
work of this class. They have all the freshness of 'the living hues of Nature,'

Queen.

"A beautiful, instructive, and bewitching book. Mr. Heath is a painter who adds colour
to drawing, and produces a picture endued with life and grace. He gilds the pills of know-
ledge which he administers with the most fascinating effect, and we believe the information
given in the volume will be highly prized by fern collectors and amateurs. The author paints
icenery with a glowing pencil; and for such as love the beauties of Nature and who have a
»pecial love for ferns the descriptive portions of the volume will prove a charm. We have
gone through the book with real pleasure. ... Of the illustrations it is not too much to say
that they are exquisite."

LONDON :

THE COUNTRY PRESS, 19, BALL STREET,
KENSINGTON, W

XI.

ESTABLISHED 1877.

Cbc Best Angling paper

Devoted to Angling, River, Lake, and Sea Fishing, and Sea Culture.
ESTABLISHED 1877.

A Journal for Anglers.

EDITED BY R. B. MARSTON.

" Under the editorship of Mr. R. B Marston the Gazette has attained a
higfh standing." — Daily News. "An excellent paper." — The World.

PUBLISHED WEEKLY, PRICE 2d.

Prepaid Subscription, 10/6 per Annum.

To America and the Continent, 12/6 per Annum.

The tf Fishing Gazette" contains every week Original Articles,
Reports, &c., often Illustrated, on Salmon, Trout and General
Fishing. Reports from the principal Rivers, and Corres-
pondence.

"THE FISHING GAZETTE" contains the latest ADVERTISEMENTS ot

the Leading- Fishing- Tackle Houses. Anglers' Hotels, Waterproof Makers, Fish

Culturists. Etc., Etc.

London : Office of the " Fishing Gazette,"
St. Dunstan's House, Fetter Lane, Fleet Street.

Can be obtained through all Bookstalls and Newsagents.

ADVERTISING,

NEWSPAPER
ADVERTISING.

Write for Printed List of Charges which contains

names of all London daily papers and widely circulated

. . Weeklies. . .

Advice given as to most suitable Journals for obtaining
the desired object.

SAMUEL, DEACON & Co.,

ISO & 154, Leadenhall St., London, E.G.

ESTABLISHED 1815.

DEACON'S NEWSPAPER HANDBOOK, Price 2s.

A most interesting and useful work.

W&J.BIRKENHEAD

WW^MlmW^WX^^

ugltfJiMilt-i'iVl1 ii^>H IB Mi I "Ki5

PROTHEROE & MORRIS,

.Huctionccrs, estate X gents and Valuers.

CENTRAL AUCTION ROOMS,
67 & «>S. CHEAF»SIDE. LONDON, E.C.

Dutch Bulbs. — Great Unreserved Sales every day (except Saturdays), from the middle of

August until the middle of December.
Greenhouse Plants, Roses. &C. — Sales every Wednesday, from the middle of October

until March.

Lilies. —Sales nearly every Wednesday during Season.

Orchids, Established and Imported.— Sales every Friday throughout the year.
Auction Sales of Nursery Stock, Greenhouse Plants and other effects are con-

tinually taking place in their respective seasons in various parts of the country.
Messrs. P. & M.'S Sale Announcements for the ensuing week appear in the Gardeners

Chronicle, The Standard and Daily Telegraph every Saturday.

CATALOGUES OF ALL SALES WILL BE FORWARDED ON APPLICATION.

Sales and Valuations of Horticultural Properties and Stock in Trade. Market

Garden and Agricultural Valuations also.

Sales and Valuations of Freehold and Leasehold Properties, Ground Rents
and Investments, and other Business appertaining to the Profession conducted
upon the usual terms.

Separate printed lists of Horticultural Properties and Farms, also of Residences
to be Let or Sold, and Investments, are published, and will be forwarded free by post
on application to,

AUCTION ROOMS & ESTATE OFFICES,

67 & 68, Cheapside, London, E.C.

And at Leytonstone, Essex.

Kill.

BURNHAA BEECHES.

By FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH.

With Map of the Beeches, eight beautifully executed
Wood Engravings (see specimen below), and fac-simile of
Lord Beaconsfield's Letter to the Author on Peasant
Life, Trees and Sylvan Scenery.

One Volume. New Edition Preparing.

Bl'RNHAM BEECHES IN AUTl'MN.

ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS:— "The Burnham Beeches were
saved by the liberality of the London City Corporation, prompted
thereto by an accomplished writer of pleasant books about trees and
ferns and rural delights, Mr. Francis George Heath, who addressed the

public authorities with earnest letters of remonstrance A

charming- little volume."

GLOBE. — " Writing with even more than his usual brilliancy,
Mr. Heath here gives the public an interesting monograph of the
splendid old trees. . . . This charming little work."

LONDON : THE COUNTRY PRESS, 19, Ball Street, Kensington, W.

THE ART OF THE POSTICHEUR.

Messrs. S. F. GOSS, Ltd.

Having' achieved a most wonderful success in their ne^v branch at their
Brompton Road establishment, beg to bring- to the notice of their
numerous Patrons their specialities and aids in the Art of Hairdressing.

Finest Naturally Wavy Hair, Fringes, Pin and Puff Curls,

-

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Xo. -24— Marie Stuart Pompadour Fringe ... from £1 Is. Cd.

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Tails of pure Hair, all shades from 10/6, 12/6, 17/6, 2 1/- & 30/-

IMPERIAL ARCADE, 17, BROMPTON ROAD, S.W.

xv.

NEW EDITION IN PREPARATION

OUR WOODLAND TREES,

BY

FRANCIS GEORGE HEATH,
AUTHOR OF ''THE FERN WORLD," "THE FERN PARADISE," &c.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

Tne Life of a Tree.— Introductory— The Tiee Germ— Early Growth— Structure-
Development — Perfection — Beauty,

PART II.

Some "Woodland Rambles.— In the New Forest— At Lyndhurst— Through GliJe
and Covert — Where a Norman Fell — By Twilight— On the Uplands— Into the Green-
wood Shade — Along the Streamside — From Brockenhurst to Lyndhurst — Where the
Green Leaves quiver — Through a Green Ride — At Midnight.

PAUT III.

Trees at Home.— A Study of Young Limes— A Plea for Trees in Towns— Sylvan
Streets — London Trees — More Trees in our Gardens.

PART IV.

British "Woodland Trees.— The Wavy- leaved Oak— The Flat-leaved Oak -The
Ilex— The Ash-The Small-leaved Elm— The Wych Elm— The Beech— The Lime-
The Ivy— The Chestnut— The Horse-Chestnut— The Walnut— The Sycamore— Th«
Western Plane- The Oriental Plane— The Maple— The Arbutus The Privet— The
Mountain Ash— The Spindle Tree— The Guelder Rose— The Wayfaring Tree— The
Black-fruited Cherry— The Red-fruited Cherry— The Pear— The Bird Cherry— The
Wild Service Tree— The Apple— The White Beam— The Honeysuckle— The Hazel-
The Barberry— The Hornbeam— The Acacia— The Black Poplar— The Grey Poplai
—The White Poplar— The Aspen— The White Willow— The Weeping Willow -The
Birch— The Alder -The Hawthorn— The Blackthorn— The Buckthorn— The Aldei
Buckthorn— The Dogwood— The Elder— The Box— The Cedar of Lebanon— The
Pinaster— The Juniper— The Medlar -The Silver Fir— The Yew— The Tamarisk-
The Stone Pine— The Larch— The Holly— The Scotch Fir— The Spruce Fir.

SOME PRESS OPINIONS OF "OUR WOODLAND TREES-"

Times.

*" Our Woodland Trees' is a work inspired by a genuine and wholesome love of Nature
There is some pleasant reading in Mr. Heath's pages amid a vast quantity of botanical lore,
»ome picturesque descriptions of rural and woodland scenery, and an entertaining smattering
r»f historical and traditional gossip."

XVI.

WEEDY LAWNS • WEEDY WALKS

Can be improved and con-
verted into a perfect sward
of close-growing grass, tree
from weeds, by using

"CLIMAX"
LAWN SAND.

You will be surprised and
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No other Manure Required.

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without hoeing or other
labour by one application
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" CLIMAX "
WEED KILLER,

Try an early application
before the soil is dried up.

CATALOGUE, containing full particulars of above and other
Garden necessaries POST FREE,

THE BOUNDARY CHEMICAL CO., Ltd.,

LUTON STREET, LIVERPOOL.

WESTOBY & COMPY.,

(Beneral & Spotting Vailors,
16, Bedford St.,

Telephone No. 309 CENTRAL.

STRAND.

w.c.

Best Materials and Workmanship

At Moderate Charges.

CHANCELLOR & SONS,

auctioneers, Rouse $ estate fluents, Suruepors $ Valuers

1, KING STREET, and adjoining the Railway Stations,

TELEPHONE, 13, RICHMOND, RICHMOND, SURREY.

VIEW FROM RICHMOND HILL.

Healthiness of Richmond— Death Rate
Artesian Wells. Main Drainag-e System. Gas and
Brigade. Low Rates.

All the available Furnished and

Unfurnished Residences to be let

or sold.

ATTRACTIONS.

Richmond Park, famousTerrace,
lovely Terrace Gardens, and
the River ; Kew Gardens, Free
Public Library and Reading
Rooms, Baths, Tennis, Archery,
Cricket and Football Grounds ;
Two Golf Links.

300 Trains daily

to all parts.

only 12 per 1,000. Water from
Electric Light. Excellent Fire

CHANCELLOR & SONS,

Auctioneers, Rouse & €$taie flaems, Suroepors & Valuers

At the Railway Stations,
ASCOT and SUNNINGDALE, BERKS.

TELEPHONE, 2 & 64, ASCOT.

All the available Furnished and Unfurnished Residences to be Let or Sold
in Ascot, Bracknell, Wokingham, Camberley, Farnborough, Woking,
Virginia Water, Egham, Sunning'dale, Windlesham, Bagshot, Winkfield,
Windsor Forest, &c. .

ATTRACTIONS.

Royal Race Meeting's, two
Golf Links, Hunting- with
Stag Hounds, Fox Hounds
and Harriers. Capital

Fast Train Services

to Waterloo, Weybridg-e,
Woking", "Windsor and Read-
ing- ; Cricket, Tennis, Football
and Croquet Clubs. Beautiful
Walks and Drives in Windsor
Great Park, &c., &c. Fire
Brigade. Low Rates.

VIEW OF ASCOT HEATH AND RACE COURSE.

Healthiness of Ascot- Death Rate only 12'5 per 1,000.

CHANCELLOR & SONS,

Agents for To wia Houses, Flats & Offices.

51, PALL MALL, S.W. (Opposite Marlborough House).

Telephone 2549 Gerrard.

THE "NORA'

CARDS AND LEAFLETS

''THE COUNTRY PRESS has arranged to issue, under
the jioui de plume of the Contributor, the series of
verses which, by* their high tone and pathos, have achieved
a wide reputation for the Authoress. The compositions all
breathe the sweet spirit of piety and genuine religious
fervour which distinguish the writer.

The compositions are designed for distribution, and
can be supplied in assorted packets of 100 for is. for the
Leaflets and in packets of 7 for 6d. for the Cards. Each
of the latter can be transmitted through the post for
one Half-penny, provided that only the signature of the
sender be appended on the left hand of the address side
of the card.

It is in contemplation to illustrate the series, and
particulars will be announced in due course. The pub-
lishers will send any of the Cards or Leaflets post free
for the prices mentioned.

Both Cards and Leaflets in the " NORA " series
will be tastefully produced on super-calendered material.
They can be used for distribution for a great variety of
purposes ; for Sunday and other Schools ; for Christmas,
Easter, Birthday, and other occasions ; for leaving in
VV aiting Rooms, Trains, Tram-cars and Omnibuses ; and, in
effect, wherever the good which they are likely to do, has
a chance of taking root.

THE COUNTRY PRESS,
19, BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, LONDON, W.

xix.

TO AUTHORS.

THE COUNTRY PRESS is prepared to estimate
for, and undertake the printing and publishing of,
approved manuscripts in all departments of literature
for . .

Books, Magazines, Journals,

Brochures, Pamphlets, •£ •£

Leaflets, &c,

on very moderate terms. Estimates alone will be sup-
plied free of cost, provided there is a reasonable chance
of any resulting work being placed in its hands.

The Editor of THE COUNTRY PRESS will be prepared;
for a moderate fee, to give advice to Authors as to the
best form in which to produce their manuscripts, and
as to the best methods of distribution, &c. through trade
channels : and, when books, &c., are published, to advise
as to the journals to select in sending copies of the
work for review.

LONDON :

THE COUNTRY PRESS,
19, BALL STREET, KENSINGTON, W.

XX.

83207*