FERN GROWING 165 



The material used in potting Ferns is of great importance, 

 as on this depends the success attained. Peat, loam, leaves, 

 clay, sand, broken stones, crocks, half-decayed wood, lime, 

 manure, shells, spent-hops, cocoa-refuse, &c., must be used. 



In the first place, the flower-pots and pans must be quite 

 clean and dry, or a confervoid growth will soon appear, and 

 this is injurious to the plants. 



Proper drainage is necessary ; a hollow crock should be 

 placed at the bottom, and then a layer of broken crocks, and 

 above this a thin layer of cocoa -refuse, and some broken 

 sea-shells, with a little sprinkling of spent-hops. The pan is 

 then ready for the compost, which must be varied to suit the 

 different species. It is scarcely necessary to state that the 

 amount of drainage should be increased according to the size 

 of the pan, very small pans requiring scarcely any drainage. 



The different materials should be kept in separate heaps, and 

 only mixed as desired at the time of potting. The peat, loam, 

 clay, half-decayed wood, and old cow-manure should be kept 

 in heaps on the north side of a wall, and kept clean from weeds. 

 As regards leaves, they must be carefully collected as soon as 

 they fall ; those from the oak and other deciduous plants are to 

 be preferred ; they should be in a heap not more than a foot 

 thick, and turned over every week for some time to prevent 

 their getting warm ; afterwards they may be stacked, but should 

 still be occasionally turned over. Clay should be collected in 

 the autumn, and on the approach of frost, spread thinly on the 

 ground ; this will cause pulverisation with a few degrees of 

 frost. 



The sand selected should be coarse ; fine sand is scarcely 

 wanted. The broken stones will be required of different sizes, 

 from that of a nut to that of several inches in diameter — sand- 

 stone, limestone, and Keuper-clay to be kept separate. Crocks 

 from broken flower-pots should be of several sizes, being 

 separated by passing through riddles with an inch mesh, half- 



