l8 FERNS 



Fortunately, many of them, like the purple 

 cliff brake (Pellaa atropurpurea), are also 

 found growing on disintegrating limestone 

 ledges, loose sections of which can often be 

 pulled away, laying bare the thread of life 

 reaching for hidden springs within. 



The common polopody (Polypodium vul- 

 gare) is an exception to this mode, as the 

 entire mass of growth is anchored by tiny 

 rootlets to the surface of rocks only. Sec- 

 tions for transplanting should be cut, not 

 pulled, from the beautiful mat which Nature 

 flings down here and there. 



FAILURES DUE TO EXCESSIVE ZEAL 



The majority of unsuccessful attempts to 

 make ferns live even after they have been 

 properly uprooted are due to over-zealous 

 efforts rather than careless planting. Nature 

 has different standards for different genera, 

 and we have but to observe how far above 

 the surface she carries the crowns of her 

 ferns or buries her rootstocks beneath. A 



