T I 



near water. Other ferns, with rare exceptions, are better 

 without the saucer-adjunct, \^'hich encourages the roots 

 to mass therein instead of to ramify throughout the soil. 

 As, under artificial conditions, the roots should be witliin 

 the pot, it follows that, unless these conditions be observed, 

 an ultimate degeneration is likely to ensue. 



Ferns have exceedingly fine hair-like roots — the real 

 feeders — and if these are damaged from any cause, either 

 over or under-watering, the result may be disastrous. I 

 am acutely reminded of the latter state of things, for on 

 returning home after a short absence I found Aciiantiim 

 Capillus-Venevis vav. imhvicatum in a fiaccid condition. Of 

 course, I immediately applied the "water cure," but it has 

 refused to be comforted ; and so out of a splendid little 

 cool-house specimen I may be able to save a bit by 

 adopting the small pot system. 



As bearing on this subject, perhaps I may be allowed to 

 extend my observations to some experiments with Harts- 

 tongues which, although not fitting in exactly with root 

 room for ferns, may yet be relevant to it. Anyhow, 

 whether one deals with the size of the pot or the naUirc of 

 the soil, it comes to a matter of culture after all. Observ- 

 ing, then, how well the Hartstongue grows in our Purbeck 

 quarries, I obtained some limestone of the variety known 

 as "freestone," and pounded this up into small nodules, 

 retaining, of course, the smaller particles and dust to give 

 some sort of solidity to the whole. The varieties of the 

 Hartstongue selected were, as far as I could judge, equal 

 in size and vigour, that being a necessary condition in any 

 experiment with soils, etc. These were potted on into 

 4^-inch pots last year in the following composts : — No. i. A 

 form of Scol. v. cvispiim Dvummondae was potted in one- 

 third ordinary soil and two-thirds limestone, broken up as 

 above, with one crock over the bottom, and some moss 

 over this to prevent the soil from washing out. No. 2. A 

 similar plant was potted in ordinary compost. Both 



