I 2 I 



FERNS IN BOTTLES. 



In April last my attention was drawn to a report in the 

 local press concerning a ** Novel Fernery " at Broadmayne, 

 near Dorchester. Paragraphs also appeared in two of the 

 London halfpenny newspapers which were more or less 

 sensational in character. Therefore I decided to investi- 

 gate the phenomenon, as, not being a man of " mystery," 

 or much given to the supernatural, I had some doubts 

 about it. So I took train from Swanage to Moreton, and 

 after a most delightful ramble of about five miles over 

 Warmwell moor and heath — on which the gorse was then 

 resplendent — I came at last to the quaint but typical village 

 of Broadmayne. 



Here I was soon brought into contact with the object of 

 my search, by the courtesy of the good lady of the grocer's 

 shop, who, although immersed in business matters, yet 

 contrived to answer some enquiries. " The celerity and 

 mysteriousness of the prophet's gourd" theory was soon 

 disposed of, for I found, as I expected, that the bottles had 

 been in position for some time — about six years. More- 

 over, "that each bottle was occupied by a beautiful and 

 delicate fern " turned out to be in excess of the truth to the 

 extent of about seventy-five per cent. Some allowance, 

 however, must be made on account of the colour of the said 

 bottles — these being of a deep sea-green. Possibly the 

 reporter, in consequence, could not distinguish betvv-een 

 the ferns and the bottles, or otherwise only made a 

 superficial examination. There were, to be exact, 104 of 

 these receptacles, and being of French manufacture, and 

 having no commercial value here, Mr. Trevett, the grocer^ 

 conceived the idea of ornamenting his garden therewith. 

 Thus the bottles were thrust neck downwards to form a 

 border to the garden path. Now, to give these a careful 

 scrutiny, it was necessary to go on " all fours " — an 

 unavoidable if not an elegant posture. 



However, the conclusion I came to was that at least 



