52 FERNS IN THEIR HOMES AND OURS. 



spend half her summers, the same Maidenhair 

 grew in luxuriance and perfection, hardly sur- 

 passed by examples from any other known local- 

 ity! 



The collecting of ferns at a distance from home 

 must, of course, be confined to the smaller species 

 or small plants of the larger ones. But, if we are 

 in haste -to stock an out-of-doors fernery, it is im- 

 portant to obtain larger ferns at once. For this 

 purpose, a covered wagon, a number of shallow 

 boxes, a strong spade, and a hatchet, will be re- 

 quired. Suppose that we have made the acquaint- 

 ance of all the North-American ferns, and that we 

 have noted some region where fifteen or twenty 

 species may .be collected in a trip of reasonable 

 extent. We make our excursion just as the fern- 

 fronds are coming up from the ground. The As- 

 pidiums will all be found easy to lift, and all we 

 desire of them can be quickly gathered. But with 

 the Osmundas the case is different. Our hatchet, 

 or even an axe, will be of great assistance if we 

 wish to collect large plants of this species ; for the 

 woody base from which the plants spring is almost 

 as tough as oak. While we may dig up the roots 

 on the outside of a tuft of Osmundas, it will be 

 necessary to cut the growing portion away from 

 the older part. An old mortising-chisel may be of 

 service to us in removing the plants of Asplenium 

 TrichomaneSy A. ebeneum, Cystopteris frag His, and 



