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tumbler, which was stood out of the way on a shelf. Much 

 to my surprise, growth commenced and proceeded rapidly, 

 and now, two years later, there is a strong healthy growth ; 

 quite a pretty specimen. Regarding this as a wrinkle 

 worth following up, last year, when I received a somewhat 

 curious form of the species from one of our members in 

 the shape of a small, and by no means strong plant, I 

 resolved to test both the plant and the new system. I 

 therefore installed it with a little soil in the middle of some 

 moss, and crammed the mass into another tumbler in the 

 same w^ay. It immediately started healthily, and at the 

 present moment is a beautiful strong specimen, showing 

 very peculiar characters of subimbrication and partial 

 subdivision on quite distinct and interesting lines. 

 Encouraged by this, I treated an almost moribund plant 

 of Ap. fontanum in the same way, and this, to my delight, 

 is recovering rapidly, while a seedling Asp. lanccolatum 

 transferred when at the point of death, crammed into the 

 moss at the edge of the tumbler, but just in contact with 

 the thimble pot-full of soil in which the fontamim was 

 installed, lias sent up two or three fronds on the healthiest 

 possible lines. By this system it is clear that the living moss 

 induces a circulation of moisture and permits an aeration 

 of the soil which is very congenial to such species as those 

 concerned. The moss, be it noted, does not fill the 

 tumbler, about an inch is left at the bottom, where a little 

 water remains to be drawn upon as required by the little 

 wisps of moss which reach it. Now and again, when this 

 water disappears, the tumbler is immersed in water to the 

 edge until it is full, it is then reversed and the water run 

 out, until only a little is left as before. On one occasion 

 the normal specimen originally installed was forgotten for 

 so long, that all the fronds, old and new, were curled up and 

 withered, as occurs on its native walls during a long drought. 

 A few hours entire immersion under water, however, restored 

 it completely, precisely as would be the case when soaking 

 rain succeeds a drought. This method involves a minimum 



