66 The Fern Garden. 



roots of any kind that have been disturbed and need 

 time to regain their wonted action is like poison. 



So much for the division of ferns that form clustering 

 crowns. Let us now take a tuft of common polypody. 

 Here we find a quantity of fleshy rhizomes of the 

 thickness of a lead pencil entangled amongst masses 

 of fibrous roots. You may cut or pull to pieces this 

 tuft almost ad lib., provided each separate position has 

 its own roots reserved to it. The pieces must be potted 

 rather differently to the others, as their roots run upon 

 the surface chiefly, and they thrive best in a moist 

 spongy material. The surest way to make plants of 

 them will be to prepare the pots by putting in at least 

 one third depth of crocks, then nearly fill them with 

 sandy peat, and on that spread a little cocoa-nut fibre 

 to make a soft bed ; then lay one of the pieces on the 

 bed, put some more cocoa-nut fibre over it almost to 

 bury it, and press it down firmly. Water and place in 

 frame and treat as in the first practice. They will 

 soon begin to grow, and will want no particular care 

 after a few weeks. 



Now, by these two methods may the greater part 

 of all known ferns be multiplied ; there are exceptions, 

 as in the case of tree ferns, for example, but the excep- 

 tions are few. Those that grow in clustering crowns 

 may be divided as in the first practice, those that 

 extend by creeping rhizomes may be cut to pieces as 

 in the second practice. 



As you extend your operations, you will not be long 

 in discovering how easy it is to kill ferns by one or the 

 other of these processes. For general guidance I will 



