SOILS AND POTS FOR FERNS. 67 



two parts cf the cocoanut or leaf-mould to one of 

 each of the other ingredients. It is always desira- 

 ble to have on hand a supply of old Sphagnum 

 (bog-moss) for use at the time of making up fern- 

 eries or potting ferns. A thin layer of this should 

 be placed over the drainage-material, to prevent 

 the soil from being washed down at the first water- 

 ing, so as to choke the drainage. The coarser 

 parts of the cocoanut-fibre are also good for this 

 purpose. 



A certain class of ferns, coming almost under 

 the head of Epiphytes, require a rather different 

 soil. Instances are, Platycerium alcicornej P. 

 grande, several Davallias, Oleandra nodosa, and 

 many Polypodiums. For these more peat is neces- 

 sary; and, for some species, it is only required 

 to fill a wire basket with broken peat, fasten- 

 ing the ferns to the outside. For ordinary pot- 

 culture of this class of ferns, two parts of peat, 

 one of sand, and one of loam, will be a good 

 mixture. Silver sand, mentioned in almost every 

 work on fern-culture, does very well for delicate 

 plants and for spore-raising ; but for ferneries and 

 pot-cultivation, and particularly for out-door work, 

 the coarser mason's sand is much to be preferred. 



The soil for ferneries of all kinds ought to be 

 well baked, or to have boiling water poured through 

 it, before the ferns are planted. Shirley Hibberd, 

 in " The Fern Garden," gives the following good 



