THE TRUE MAIDENHAIR. 



But as a cultivated plant it is not rare, for, like 

 all our Ferns, the myriads of seeds which each 

 plant bears enable it to be extensively propagated. 

 Artificially grown, it will, in warm, moist, and 

 sheltered situations, live and thrive in the open- 

 air rockery. But its excessively delicate nature 

 requires peculiar care, and renders it more espe- 

 cially adapted for indoor cultivation. And to 

 grow it successfully indoors, especial attention 

 must be given to its requirements. It cannot 

 bear the sudden changes in temperature to which 

 the atmosphere of some sitting-rooms is subject. 

 When there is an equable temperature main- 

 tained, and the air is not too dry as, for instance, 

 in rooms which are not constantly inhabited 

 this Fern will thrive in pots, in the proper soil, 

 without any covering. But otherwise a covering 

 of glass is essential, so as to keep around the 

 plant a perpetual moisture. With such a cover- 

 ing it will revel in the warmth of inhabited rooms, 

 and become a delightful companion for the Fern- 

 lover, distilling on the points of its fronds the 

 dewdrops of its prison. A light soil, suited to 

 the delicate nature of the plant, must be provided 



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