130 HOW TO KNOW THE FERNS 



Many of the common, and strong-growing species, 

 however, do very well anywhere, the only 

 attention which they require being an oc- 

 casional watering in dry summers. This will 

 often save the foliage from drying up, a happen- 

 ing which makes the plants rather unsightly. 

 Where the outside conditions are not very 

 favourable, practically all the British species 

 may be grown with ease under glass. In such 

 conditions many kinds which do not flourish 

 very freely in the open garden, grow into hand- 

 some specimens. A case in point is the Sea 

 Spleenwort, which is an exceedingly difficult 

 subject to establish out of doors, yet it grows 

 well as a pot plant. Whatever the species, it is 

 well to imitate the natural conditions as much 

 as possible in the way of soil. For instance, the 

 Limestone Polypody is not happy unless there 

 is a certain amount of lime present in the soil. 

 Ferns with upright root-stocks do well in ordinary 

 pots, but those which produce creeping rhizomes 

 are best accommodated in pans or baskets. 

 One wonders why even some of the common 

 British Ferns are not more generally cultivated 

 in rooms. Small plants of the Lady Fern, for 

 instance, make charming specimens, and in the 

 comparatively dense shade of the apartment the 

 fronds are unusually delicate in their form and 

 colouring. In all forms of room culture the 

 great enemy is the dust which settles so freely 

 on the fronds, and the only way in which to 

 combat this is through the agency of frequent 

 syringings. 



Fern cases were very much in vogue some 

 years ago, and this is really a very delightful 

 way of cultivating the plants. Of course, the 

 old Wardian cases can often be picked up at 

 second-hand shops, but one of the simplest 



