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OUR FRONTISPIECE. 

 Lastrea thelypteris grandiceps. 



(The Marsh Buckley Fevn.) 



It must be now some forty-five years since I made my 

 first acquaintance with this Fern in the shape of some 

 masses of soil and vegetable matter, about the size of one's 

 fist, which I saw marked up on a Covent Garden flower 

 stall as " Irish Moss, 2d. a clump." On examining one of 

 these clumps, which afforded no evidence whatever of mossy 

 growth, I could clearly see that some sort of Fern was 

 concerned, as several coilcd-up frond tips in a dormant 

 state were visible, and I consequently invested twopence 

 on the off-chance. Planted out in the garden, when the 

 growing season came, it sent up several fronds by which 

 I was able to identify it, but owing to the dry conditions 

 of the situation as contrasted with its needs as all but an 

 aquatic plant, it only existed as a starveling until a year 

 or so later I had built my Fernery and could properly 

 attend to its requirements. To do so, I dug a deepish 

 hole in the soil, at the bottom of which I placed a deep 

 earthenware glazed pan, about 15 inches diameter, with no 

 hole for drainage, and this I nearly filled with largish 

 pieces of broken brick. On this I placed a lot of fibrous 

 material to prevent the soil from falling in, and finally 

 planted what was left of my plant on the top of this, so 

 that when levelled up the edge of the pan was several 

 inches below the surface. I then poured water until I 

 was sure the pan was quite full and left the rest to 

 nature. The result was marvellous ; that self-same 

 season the roots evidently struck down into the pan, and 

 led to such a vigorous growth that the creeping rootstocks 

 emerged in all directions, and invaded not only the bed in 

 the vicinity, but also the paths, until in time it became 

 so monopolistic that it had to be exiled to the open. 



