134 The Fern Garden. 



L. selago, the Fir-club moss, is a noble species, quite 

 common on stony mountain tracts, a plant of great 

 interest too on account of its medicinal properties. In 

 the open fernery, probably, all our British species would 

 thrive if taken up in large masses and planted in fully 

 exposed positions in soil specially prepared to resemble 

 that of their original sites. With them should be asso- 

 ciated an American species, L. lucidulum, which 

 closely resembles our L. selago, but is of a shining 

 dark-green colour. This thrives in peat soil in the 

 open fernery if favoured with shade and moisture. 



Sblaginellas. — Amongst these occur so many lovely 

 forms of vegetation, that we can safely say for the 

 guidance of the cultivator, the larger the collection the 

 better. The delicate cushion-like growth of S. apoda, 

 scarcely to be equalled by any of the true mosses, is 

 unique for beauty. It will suggest to the reader of 

 Milton the description of the home life of the matchless 

 pair in the happy garden — 



" Of grassy turf their table was, 

 And mossy seats had round." 



The metallic blue of S. Icevigata (S. caesium) is posi- 

 tively marvellous, yet the plant is common and will 

 grow in any moist warm close spot, scarcely needing 

 warmth or daylight, though growing the better for 

 a little of both: In 8. rubricaulis we have the colours 

 of the red coral and the emerald combined ; in 8. for- 

 mosa we have a charming semblance to a fern, yet a kind 

 of beauty which no fern possesses. 



In practice we find them all adaptable to cool houses 



