Excerpt from The Handbook of British Ferns: Comprising Scientific and Popular Descriptions, With Engravings of All the Indigenous Species and Varieties, With Instructions for Their Cultivation The first edition of this little Manual of the British Ferns was submitted to the patronage of fern admirers and the public, with the desire that it might aid - though in a humble degree - in promoting the growing taste for these charming plants; and it is no small gratification to the author to know that this expectation has been realised. The present edition, which is much enlarged, and is illustrated with many additional wood-cuts by Mr. P. F. Keir, will, it is hoped, meet with equal approbation, and prove of equal utility. The object of the author in this Handbook, has been to provide a suitable pocket companion for the students and cultivators of these now favourite plants; and it is anticipated that the use of the analytical tables of the genera and species, together with the more detailed descriptions and wood-cuts, will in most cases, render the recognition of our wild Ferns an easy task even to the novice. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.