lOO 



named it has shrunk, and been occasionally supplemented 

 by a handful or two of fresh material, it is clear that in 

 this case, too, the receptacle must be a mass of roots and 

 of soil which would be considered as long ago exhausted 

 of any nutritive matter. Nevertheless, at the moment of 

 writing a number of the Athyvium fronds are vigorously 

 rising, and I note that one of its offsets has crept down 

 inside, and is pushing through one of the lateral orifices. 



Recently, by the kindness of Mr. Cranfield, I became 

 the owner of a strong division of the Mobile cvispum 

 which our frontispiece depicts, some dozen or more fat 

 knobs indicated the robust beginning of a fine specimen 

 plant. Roots there were none. This, by way of trial, I 

 installed in a small pot only just large enough to hold it, 

 with sufficient space to insert a ring, so to speak, of soil 

 between its sides and the pot. It started at once into 

 vigorous growth, and as I write all the fronds are over 

 six inches high, with every indication of full development. 

 I intend to let it do its best before, as I cannot help antici- 

 pating, I am forced to give it at least a shift into a pot 

 a size larger. Needless to say, under such conditions, 

 plenty of water is essential, but it is quite clear, from this 

 and other experiences, that shifting an unestablished un- 

 rooted division into a good-sized pan at the outset is very 

 apt to be disastrous, the soil gets sour before the roots 

 pervade it sufficiently to keep it sweet. 



To take another view of the question, I have frequently 

 found with well-established specimens in large pots, that on 

 examination, when, as may happen, they show signs of 

 deterioration, a large mass of soil in the centre has be- 

 come sour, and has obviously never been penetrated by 

 roots at all, these being more or less superficial, and having 

 only spread on the outside of the ball next the pot. 



The moral of all this would appear to be that Ferns are 

 not dependent to a very large extent on the earthy salts 

 in the soil, which mainly serves as an anchorage and a 



