THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 331 



whole family will stand the light and air necessary to the well-being 

 of hard-wooded plants, without suffering in some measure therefrom. 

 If ferns are to be grown so that they are a credit to the cultivator, 

 and have that fresh, healthy, green colour which adds so much to 

 our enjoyment of them, they must have a house set apart expressly 

 for their culture. They require a subdued light, and shading from 

 the sun, combined with a cool, moist atmosphere, to bring out their 

 full beauty. How many hundreds of conservatories are there in the 

 neighbourhood of our large towns, more particularly round London, 

 which are built in nooks and corners, where it is impossible to get 

 sufficient light for the growth of the ordinary kinds of plants. How 

 miserable and wretched is it to go into one of these structures, to see 

 a few geraniums, fuchsias, and perhaps an azalea or two, and an old 

 straggling camellia, dragging out a miserable existence, that it would 

 be a mercy to put an end to ! These are just the places for ferns ; 

 wdth a good selection, such as I have named above, and less attention 

 than is now paid to the present miserable occupants, they may be 

 made perfect paradises, so far as the beauty of the ferns is concerned. 

 I have made several converts amongst my friends who had houses of 

 this description, and they say they will grow no more flowering 

 plants. I don't go so far as that ; for I love flowers quite as well as 

 ferns, though the latter are my especial favourites ; but if I am so 

 far successful by these few remarks as to induce any of my readers 

 who have houses of this description, to rid them of the half dead 

 rubbish with which they are now filled, and grow ferns, I shall be 

 more than repaid for my trouble in writing them. I shall not go into 

 a lot of cultural details, but I will just say that I grow nearly the 

 whole of mine in silky loam, full of fibre, and good fibrous peat, in. 

 equal parts, with plenty of silver sand, using more sand for the deli- 

 cate growers than those with a more vigorous habit. I use plenty of 

 drainage in the bottom of the pots, and mix a few small crocks with 

 the compost. With respect to watering, I can only say that the 

 plants must not get dry, or they will lose most of their fronds, if it 

 does not kill them. On the other hand, the soil in the pots must not 

 be kept continually soaked with water, or the plants will be injured 

 that way ; everything must be done in moderation. A syringing 

 overhead once a day through the summer will be beneficial in pro- 

 moting a healthjf growth, and keeping the fronds clean. The tables 

 and walls should also be sprinkled, to maintain a moist atmosphere 

 in warm weather, which is better than too much syringing. A mode- 

 rate degree of attention to their wants, in the way I have pointed 

 out, is all that ferns require ; therefore nothing further from me is 

 necessary. 



ArTUMNAL Floweks. — Everybody knows that Michaelmas Daisies and Cbrys- 

 antbemuras are invaluable for autumn ilowers. Eut there are few who are familiar 

 ■with Anemone vitifoUa, " Ilonorine Jobert," and the older rosy-flowered A. Japo- 

 nica. Ttiese, without doubt, are the two finest autumnal llowering plants of the 

 herbaceous garden. 



