THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 39 



and at the same time act as an incentive to the study of this inte- 

 resting department of the vegetable kingdom. 



The moss-garden formed by Mr. Summers, in the gardens of 

 Mr. Mongredien, at Forest Hill, is about the best that has yet come 

 under public notice, and under the skilful management of Mr. 

 Summers, it at all times presented a beautiful appearance. The 

 rockery upon which the mosses were grown, was constructed with 

 burrs, arranged in terraces and supplied with water at the summit, 

 so as to cause a trickling down from terrace to terrace, until at the 

 base the various rivulets formed a pool. The mosses were planted 

 on the ledges and amongst the burrs, those requiring a special soil 

 having their wants provided for ; and thus some hundreds of species 

 were brought under the eye at once, and exhibited in a manner 

 approaching to that in which they are usually found when growing 

 wild. Though the burrs answer very well for the erection of the 

 rockery, real stone is preferable, or, if that is too expensive, the 

 general shape may be formed with the hard vitrified burrs, and the 

 pockets and ledges filled in with soft limestone, rotten brick, peat, 

 sand, and other materials upon which the mosses commonly thrive. 

 A shady position should be selected for the mossery, otherwise the 

 sun dries them up quickly, and they lose that peculiarly bright 

 green appearance which adds so much to their beauty. 



In collecting specimens for cultivation, they should be 

 taken with a thin slice of whatever they may be growing upon 

 adhering to the roots. They will grow freely, and spread in all 

 directions. But when they are rudely torn fr m pieces of rock 

 or other substance, the roots get injured, and the specimens 

 suffer in consequence, frequently resulting in their death. In 

 constructing the mossery, means should be adopted, if convenient, 

 for affording a continuous supply of water from the top, to trickle 

 down the sides, in the same way as that at Forest Hill. The con- 

 stant trickling of the water will give the rockery a natural appear- 

 ance, and at the same time be conducive to the health and freshness 

 of the mosses growing upon it. All the mosses require a liberal sup- 

 ply of moisture at all seasons, to keep them in full health. A better 

 proof of the truth of this assertion is not wanted, than to point to 

 the vigorous way in which they all grow naturally during the 

 humid season of November and December. To keep them in first- 

 rate condition, they should have a liberal sprinkling overhead three 

 times a-day through the summer, and at other times twice will be 

 sufficient, unless the weather is particularly dry and warm. There 

 need be little fear of their receiving too much. In the winter, 

 there will be sufficient atmospheric moisture, in addition to the 

 rains, to keep tbem damp enough, unless it should happen to be 

 unexceptionally dry. In that case, a sprinkle overhead will be of 

 immense benefit to them. In planting the mossery, the arrange- 

 ments of the species should be conducted so that each species gets 

 a position that bears a close affinity to which it is found in a natural 

 state. Those naturally growing on stone or brickwork should 

 be secured to those substances, whilst those growing in damp pools 

 and ordinary soil should have like positions allotted to them. By 



