Ireland/Irish > Lakes of Killarney

106
THE BKISTLE FERN.
commenting on the absolute impossibility of domesti¬
cating the Bristle Fern, as an ornamental plant;
though in the glass-cases it is now often to be seen,
producing larger fronds than in its native locality,
and by its green beauty delighting the eye of the
dweller in the smoky town, or cheering the heart
saddened by long sickness and absence from the
scenes of nature.
“ In Mr. Ward’s interesting work on the growth of
plants in closed cases—a little book honourable alike
to the thoughtful intellect and kind heart of the
writer—this gentleman says, that when making the
experiments that led to his plan of glass-cases, he was
induced to commence with this, the most lovely of our
cellular plants, in consequence of its being the most
intractable under ordinary culture; of its being, in
fact, as he says, the ‘ opprobrium hortulanorum.’
‘ Loddiges,’ says Mr. Ward, ‘ who had it repeatedly,
never could keep it alive; and Baron Fischer, the
superintendent of the botanic establishment of the
Emperor of Bussia, when he saw the plant growing
in one of my cases, took off his hat, made a low bow
to it, and said, “ You have been my master all the days
of my life !” On some rock-work in Mr. Ward’s fern-
house, this plant produced fronds fifteen inches in
height, by seven or eight in breadth,—one-fourth
larger than uncultivated specimens, either from Killar-
ney or elsewhere.’
“ Mr. N. B. Ward, in a letter to the author, says of
it, ‘ Some years since, when I had the pleasure of
visiting Killamey with Dr. Harvey, we determined
to find out, if possible, another locality for Tricho-
manes radimns; and to this end directed the driver