IRISH GARDENING 



75 



Amateur Fern Growing* 



By H. D. 

 {Coiitin\ied.) 

 Gently secure — they are very easily injured — 

 every one found and transfer it to the grreen- 

 house. Hunt frequently for them, and get 

 all that can be found. These are carnivorous 

 beasts; they live on eggs, larvae, and small 

 insects. They burrow through loose earth and 

 under plants and leaves, and if they come across 

 the eggs or grub of the weevil, will doubtless 

 make a hearty meal off them. And, again, like 

 the frogs, that is their business, and they will 

 keep always at it. and the constant hunt tells 



had been changed except the introduction of the 

 centipedes, so it is perhaps fair to give them the 

 credit of the \ictory. There is some confirmation 

 of this in the fact that no new centipedes were 

 introduced after about the fourth season, and that 

 in two or three y^ears the characteristic leaf- 

 cuttings began to appear again and become more 

 abundant. This would look as if the centipedes 

 had diminished in numbers either by escaping 

 through crannies in the frame work of the house, 

 or, what is more likely, were devoured by the 

 frogs. It would be well therefore to niake an 

 occasional himt amongst rubbish in the garden 

 and catch any centipedes that may be found, 

 so as to keep up the stock in the house. 



Water Lilies .\t Home. 



in the end. It is, unfortunately, tiue that our 

 favourite frogs refuse to discriminate between 

 them and lawful game, so svv'allow them with as 

 much gusto as they would a " slater." So it is 

 up to us to keep up the supply and hope for their 

 agility and secretive habits to escape the frog- 

 danger till they have done some good work 

 amongst the weevil grubs. 



The season after we thovight of this plan of 

 fighting the weevil there was no appreciable 

 change in the devastation it caused. The second 

 sea.son we felt sure there was less damage done. 

 The third season we were really surprised to 

 find how little injury there was con^pared with 

 even the previous year. The fourth season it was 

 with difficulty any trace of it could be found, and 

 not one \\ eevil was seen the whole year. It is 

 quite certain that something had occurred to 

 diminish its numbers very greatly, and nothing 



There is little more to be said. The two most 

 important things to remen^ber in managing a 

 rock fernery in an unlieated green-house are : — 

 (1) Do not \\ater the ferns overhead ; (2) leave 

 thejii \\ithout water during the winter months. 



This article has been written by a town- 

 dwelling amateur for amateurs, and gives them 

 the result of over twenty years' experience. His 

 fernery has not all the advantages set forth in 

 the advice here given, for from time to time 

 ideas have suggested themselves, which it is certain 

 would have been a great improvenient liad they 

 l)een thought cf when the fernery was being made. 

 Tor instance, any stone available was used, which 

 included much limestone, also river sand was 

 used for the compost, which also contained much 

 limestone .sand. It took us some time to find 

 the explanation of why some ferns— f.r/., Blechnum 

 spicant, utterly refused to grow with us, and we 



