THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 233 



of the rockery is an evil to be guarded against, to say nothing of a 

 possible sloppy state of the paths or pavement, if the house is unpro- 

 vided with drainage. Let it suffice that this point has been men- 

 tioned, for in practice it is of less consequence than in theory. If 

 the fern-house stands on a tolerably dry soil, and the cultivator acts 

 judiciously in the management of it, there will never be such an 

 accumulation of water as will be objectionable or inconvenient. 



In the selection of ferns, the matter for first consideration is 

 their relative hardiness. If the house is heated, there is a wider 

 range for selection than otherwise, but in a house wholly unaided 

 by artificial heat an immense number of the most beautiful kinds 

 may be grown to perfection. If the question were pressed for a 

 decisive answer, whether, speaking in a general way, a fern-house 

 should or should not be heated, we should pronounce it highly 

 desirable to heat it to ordinary greenhouse temperature, both be- 

 cause in that case it might suit, ceteris 'paribus, for full nine-tenths 

 of all the ferns known, and because also it would be enjoyed in all 

 weathers, and would be almost as bright on New Year's Day as at 

 midsummer. Charcoal stoves and hot-water bottles and candles are 

 available to repel frost where there is no proper heating apparatus ; 

 but these are troublesome and very apt to fail at the moment when 

 they are most wanted. Therefore our advice to all is, be content 

 with the proper range of your opportunities ; plant such ferns as 

 the house will accommodate without necessitating a strain upon 

 your attention at any time, for when a hobby swells out like a night- 

 mare into a gigantic vexation or anxiety, it ceases to amuse, and 

 increases instead of relieving the cares of life. 



At this point the whole subject of fern-culture opens before us, 

 and it is therefore time to stop. It must suffice to say here that 

 sufficient room should be allowed in planting for the plants to extend 

 themselves and attain perfect development; that they should be 

 planted firm and filled in with a good mixture of peat and sand, and 

 in many cases it will be necessary to build them in, to secure to 

 plants of peculiarly noble aspect commanding positions. The 

 after-attention consists chiefly in watering, which must be attended 

 to with regularity, copious supplies being given in summer, but 

 very little in winter, and during frost none at all, unless the house 

 is heated, in which case the supplies must be continued in modera- 

 tion. Ventilation will be necessary, but ferns need less air than 

 most other plants, and especial care must be taken to avoid exposing 

 them to cold draughts in spring, and to the exhaustive sultry breezes 

 of high summer. At Buch times keep the house close, and promote 

 humidity by sprinkling the floor with water. 



August. 



