FERNS 



THE MAIDENHAIR FERN 



A FERN that is often seen at the florist's is the 

 maidenhair. But you will not find such large plants 

 in the greenhouse as are found "under the open 

 sky." Even out of doors there is a great difference 

 in the size of the plants. The larger ones grow in 

 moist, shaded dells. They love "a quiet glen shut 

 in from all intrusion by the trees." On dry slopes 

 the plants are smaller. In the sunlight they are quite 

 small. 



If you have once seen a maidenhair fern you will 

 be apt to know it again. It is not shaped like any of 

 the other ferns that we have been reading about. 

 Neither does it grow like them. The outline of the 

 whole frond is circular. The stem is very slender and 

 is hidden as you look down upon the plant. This 

 makes the fern look as if it were top-heavy. But if a 

 ground breeze comes along while you are looking at it, 

 you almost forget that you thought so. The mass of 

 green is all atremble. The shining, dark stipe is no 

 longer hidden, but glistens as the soft green top waves 

 to and fro. 



The rootstock is near the surface of the ground. 

 It is slender and creeps about for a long distance, giv- 

 ing off many black, wiry roots. Before the leaves 

 push up out of the ground, they are protected by 



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