i66 FERN GROWING 



an-inch, and a quarter of an inch. Half-decayed wood must 

 not be from small branches ; it should be eight or ten inches 

 in circumference, and stacked with the bark on. After a gale 

 there is plenty of all sizes to be found. The lime may be a 

 mixture of broken-up limestone and old mortar. 



The manure should be that collected from the pastures 

 known as dry cow-manure, which should be stacked out of doors. 

 The best broken shells are those of oysters and cockles. Spent- 

 hops can be procured at a brewery, and cocoa-refuse from one 

 of the numerous dealers in peat, sand, loam, &c. A leaf-heap 

 must be made every year, as it will be required of different 

 ages, as some Ferns prefer half-rotten leaves. In potting, the 

 soils should be passed through a riddle, and only the coarse 

 portion used, except near the surface ; this is very essential with 

 large plants, for if potted entirely in fine soil, the plants will 

 suffer ; the lumps should be pressed close, but not the fine soil. 



A mixture of half loam and leaf, with a third of sand, and 

 a third of broken-up cow-manure, will suit most Ferns ; with 

 the addition of lime to those that require it, and the absence 

 of lime where it is injurious. 



Constant attention in watering and watching for insects, 

 slugs, &c., is of the greatest importance. It is as easy to give 

 too much water as too little. If the soil of a plant has become 

 very dry, watering is of no use, as it runs through the pan, 

 only wetting one or two places ; the pan should be plunged 

 above the rim in water, and left there till all the bubbles of 

 air have been forced out. 



The growing of Ferns is more general than it used to be. 

 A few years ago there was no special British Fernery at the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew ; but one has now been added through 

 the solicitation and earnest desire ' of a few of the Fern culti- 

 vators. Colonel Jones, Mr. E. F. Fox, and the author have 

 sent a number of their varieties to the Kew Gardens, and 

 Mr. Carbonell of Usk left his Ferns (by will) to be added to 



