Part I. 



THE ROCK-GARDEN FERNERY. 



23 



to carry out his experiments on the shores of the Mediter- 

 ranean, informs me that the pretty little sweet-scented fern 

 Cheilanthes odora is never found, even in that warm and 

 sunny region, except on the south side of bare rocks and 

 walls where it is exposed to the full rays of the sun. It is 

 sought for in vain on northern exposures, is rarely found to 

 the east and west, and, when found, is badly developed. Walls 

 facing due south are covered with this little gem among ferns, 

 and not a vestige of the species occurs on the opposite side. In 



Fig. 24. — Entrance to hardy fernery from rock-garden. 



'the middle of winter it is in full vigour, by the end of spring the 

 fronds begin to dry, and through the torrid summer, when the 

 stones of the walls are burning hot, its roots, fixed between the 

 hot stones, are the only parts with life. In humid valleys and 

 recesses it is not found. Other ferns manifest analogous ten- 

 dencies. This merely by way of proof that some of the choicest 

 ferns may not only be grown well in the most sunny and arid 

 positions, but better on them than elsewhere. 



I am informed by Mr. Atkins, of Painswick, who was the 

 first to bring the charming little Nothoclana maranta alive into 



