80 The Fern Garden. 



the remainder to attain maturity and shed their spores 

 for the next season. 



Hymenophyllum. — H. Tunbridgense is the Tun- 

 bridge filmy fern, a cynosure, a paragon, a paradox. It 

 represents a race, all of which require similar treatment. 

 They are all easily grown if dealt with in a proper 

 manner in the first instance. Suppose we consider 

 how to grow a nice patch of any of them. Get a large 

 earthenware pan (flower-pot ware) and a bell-glass to 

 fit fairly within the rim. A fifteen-inch glass would be 

 best, but one half that size will do to begin with. 

 Spread over the bottom of the pan a layer of broken 

 pots, then lay down a bed of very sandy peat — say peat 

 and silver sand equal parts. On this bed place some 

 blocks of stone of the size of the fist, and less, and press 

 them down, and fill in between them with the same 

 mixture of peat and sand. Make all this quite firm — 

 make it, in fact, hard. Now draw out a small stone, 

 and introduce the plant, spreading out its black hair- 

 like roots, which cover with the mixture, and bed it in 

 close, so that it will sit, so to speak, close to the general 

 surface of the stone. If you can plant little pieces all 

 over the pan between the stones, you may get the pan 

 filled more quickly, but it is a risk for a beginner to 

 tear up a plant as a practised hand would do. Wet the 

 whole by means of a fine syringe ; place the bell-glass 

 on, and press it slightly so as to make it fit pretty close, 

 and place the pan in a warm room near the window,' or 

 in a snug, warm, shady corner of the greenhouse, or in 

 a cool part of the stove, and do not look at it for a week ; 

 then take off the glass and give another gentle sprinkle, 



