THE MOUNTAIN PARSLEY FEUN. 



tufts. They are of a delightful green colour, and 

 the whole plant forms a conspicuous ornament 

 of the places where it grows. It is sometimes 

 called the ' Rock Brakes,' from its habit of 

 growing in stony places and on rocks and old 

 walls. It grows plentifully in the North of Eng- 

 land, is also found in Scotland, and abundantly 

 in Wales. Some plants have indeed been dis- 

 covered so it has been alleged on Exmoor, 

 near Challacombe ; but it is not, strictly speaking, 

 a Devonshire Fern. 



In the cultivation of the Parsley Fern one 

 thing must be borne in mind, namely, that it can- 

 not endure stagnant moisture. Indeed it does 

 not like too much moisture of any kind, especially 

 about its roots. Plant it, if in a pot, in a mix- 

 ture of sandy peat, leaf-mould, and broken pieces 

 of stone or flower-pot. It is delicately suscep- 

 tible of frosts, and its pretty fronds when exposed 

 on an open rockery will die away on the approach 

 of winter ; but when the soft genial spring comes 

 round again, the new fronds will bud into life 

 once more with all their old green and crisp 

 freshness. 



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