British Ferns. 75 



hair. There are a few varieties, but we need not 

 enumerate them. The requisites for the growth of 

 this lovely fern are warmth, shade, and moisture. In 

 the damp and rather dark parts of a plant stove it soon 

 becomes a weed, and sows itself by spores on bricks, 

 stones, wood — anywhere. I have had it grow to per- 

 fection between the bricks inside a well. To have a 

 plant in a room, the best way is to appropriate to its use 

 a fifteen-inch bell-glass, fitted to an earthen pan of red 

 flower-pot ware. The soil should be sandy peat, with a 

 fourth part of broken flower-pots or soft broken stone 

 added. Give air daily for half an hour ; never leave 

 the glass off and forget it; do not saturate it with 

 moisture, and — have patience. 



Allosorus. — A. crispus, the mountain parsley fern. 

 Coddling will kill it. It loves fresh air; will grow 

 amongst pebbles or broken stone with a little sandy 

 peat to give it a start. Shade is good for it, but I 

 have seen it growing gloriously in the full sun. Beware 

 if there is one snail in the garden; catch him and throw 

 him over the wall into the next garden, or he will 

 gobble up your plant as a cat would a mouse. It is a 

 good plan to put a bell-glass over a newly planted piece 

 to protect it from the vermin ; the glass can be taken 

 away when the plant has grown a bit. 



Asplenium. — A. marvnum is one of the best case 

 ferns known. It loves sand and stone, and warmth 

 and vapour. To plant it in the open air rockery is a 

 risk, but it will do well in the cool fern-house near the 

 floor. 



A. trichomanes and A. viride are charming ferns to 



