108 THE FORCING GARDEN. 



which fronds may be cut ; one for their propagation by 

 seed and by division ; and another for bringing on the 

 specimens or the young plants for sale. The house for 

 seedlings &c. (which should be partially under ground) 

 must always be kept close with a good moist heat ; that 

 for bringing them on for specimens and for sale should 

 be kept close with a moderate heat ; and the one for the 

 well-developed specimens may be kept moderately 

 moist with ventilation at the top of the house, but none 

 at the sides. By this arrangement the plants will be 

 so far hardened that neither the cut fronds for bouquets, 

 nor the plants for decoration or sale, will suffer so much 

 as they often do from the fact of their being taken 

 straight from a high temperature and exposed to a very 

 low one. The invariable consequence is either death, 

 or what is as bad, a loss of all the points of future 

 beauty. 



The soil most suitable for Ferns is, no doubt, one 

 composed of two parts fine sandy peat and one part good 

 tender maiden loam, the latter not made too fine, but 

 chopped up with the spade turf and all and well mixed 

 with the peat. The drainage for large pots must be 

 well secured by first placing some good-sized crocks 

 over the bottoms of them, and on these a good layer of 

 smaller shreds, and then some siftings of the peat* 

 The old fronds should be cut out to make room for 

 the new ones, and an abundance of soft and tepid water 

 must be given to all Ferns when growing, and that is 

 always when they are in a moist heat, especially the 

 maiden-hair class. There are, however, a few excep- 

 tions to this rule. There is what is called the Elkshorn, 

 or Alcicorne, or Platy cerium Alcicorne ; some call it 

 Stagshorn : it belongs to the Polypodiums. This Fern 



