THE FERN PARADISE. 



"habit, the fronds of this little Fern endure 

 through the winter. 



Some difficulty is experienced by amateur Fern 

 growers in the cultivation of the Wall Rue, a 

 difficulty which, it is to be feared, arises chiefly from 

 want of care in sufficiently studying the natural 

 conditions under which it thrives. Too frequently 

 the Fern is not properly transplanted. Perhaps 

 only a third of its little fibrous rootlets are secured 

 when it is taken from its natural habitat. In 

 such a case failure in growing it is almost in- 

 evitable. It is often very difficult to transplant it 

 without doing injury to crown or root-stock, and. 

 indeed, it is generally impossible to obtain it entire 

 and uninjured without removing the stones amongst 

 which it is growing. But this difficulty overcome, 

 and the tiny plant secured intact, it will be gene- 

 rally found comparatively easy of cultivation. Jt 

 should be planted between fragments of stone in 

 such a manner as to imitate, as nearly as possible, 

 its natural conditions ; and for soil it must have 

 sandy leaf -mould and old pieces of mortar. 



372 



