28 The Fern Garden. 



and has the fleshy roots of brake intermingled with it, 

 all the better. Such loam as this is very abundant, 

 indeed it generally prevails where the brake grows 

 luxuriantly in the hedgerows. One part thoroughly 

 decayed leaf mould, which should be black and gritty, 

 free from fungus, and from bits of iron and other rub- 

 bish which gardeners too often allow to get mixed up 

 with it. One part silver-sand. Mix these ingredients well 

 together; break all lumps to the size of walnuts; do 

 not sift it, and do not on any account endeavour to 

 make it fine like dust. Indeed, a compost as fine as dust 

 will not grow any plant to perfection. When prepared, 

 the sand should be visible throughout the mass, giving 

 it a grey hue and a granular appearance. It should 

 be only moderately moist, not wet, free from large 

 stones, and have a pleasant feel in the hand. Now 

 draw to one side a heap of the toughest and largest 

 pieces of fibre and loam from the mixture; this we 

 shall call rough stuff. Next lay ready for use a small 

 heap of green moss, or, if not green, tolerably tough 

 and fresh, that is to say, not rotten. Next break up 

 a lot of flower-pots to the. size of crown-pieces, and 

 another lot to the size of peas. The last job prepara- 

 tory to potting is to have new or quite clean pots. If 

 they are not clean inside and out, the ferns will not 

 thrive, and if they did we should not like them for it. 



The process of potting is very simple, yet it is usually 

 badly done by beginners. First place over the hole 

 in the pot a picked potsherd, hollow side downwards ; 

 then lay, also hollow side downwards, a few pieces all 

 round, to cover the bottom of the pot, and then add a 



