PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION. 



Appropriately, therefore, at this joyous season 

 may this ' Plea for the culture of Ferns ' be 

 launched in its new dress. 



' We pass out from the city's feverish hum, 



To find refreshment in the silent woods ; 

 And Nature, that is beautiful and dumb, 

 Like a cool sleep upon the pulses broods.' 



But may we not woo Nature to our homes ? 

 Cannot we surround ourselves with some of the 

 most graceful and beautiful of her children ? At 

 least the attempt is worth a trial; for if it 

 succeeds, it will make us healthier and happier. 



London, May, 1878. 



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