FERNS 



While there may be other Ferns with which 

 the amateur would succeed, to some extent, I 

 would advise limiting the selection to these 

 until the grower has become quite familiar 

 with the peculiarities of this class of plants. 

 When she has learned how to grow these well 

 she will be justified in adding other varieties 

 to her collection, but not before. 



All Ferns like spongy, porous soil one con- 

 taining a large proportion of leaf -mold or its 

 substitute, turfy matter. Mix some good, 

 coarse sand with this, and add perhaps a third 

 of loam. See that drainage is perfect, and 

 then use water liberally. The more moist you 

 keep the atmosphere in the rooms where your 

 Ferns are, the better it will be for them. 



No sunshine will be needed. On this ac- 

 count, Ferns are adapted to culture in win- 

 dows having a northern exposure. 



The Boston Fern is often grown in hanging- 

 baskets. Where this is done, great care must 

 be taken to see that it never lacks water. It is 

 a good plan to lower the basket into a tub of 

 water and leave it there until it has absorbed 

 all the water it can retain. 



The mealy-bug sometimes attacks such va- 

 rieties as Bostoniensis and Whitmani, whose 



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