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outflow for surplus water we cover the bottom of this 

 receptacle all over with concave pieces of broken flower 

 pots, hollow side down, supplementing these with pieces 

 of broken brick or pots, until quite two inches are taken 

 up by this sub-arrangement. Over this spread a thin 

 layer of moss, just covering it, and upon this we may now 

 spread a good open compost of brown peat, good lumpy 

 loam, and coarse silver sand in about equal proportions, 

 filling up well to the brim. Upon this we may spread a. 

 number of pieces of any open porous stone, sandstone or 

 limestone, or, failing these, pieces of broken red bricks. 

 On these spread a little more compost, and then peg down 

 on the surface the little mats of hymenophyllum and the 

 long, creeping root-stocks of trichomanes, taking care to 

 put the latter near the centre, so that its larger fronds may 

 have free room to develop. Now take a double handful or 

 two of finely rubbed down compost as described, and sift 

 this well over until all roots are quite covered, and perhaps 

 even the little mats of fronds themselves, and as a final 

 operation take a watering-can full of rain-water, if possible, 

 and give the whole such a drenching shower that this last 

 addition is washed right into the rest of the soil, and so 

 beds the plants firmly in the desired positions, all fronds 

 being visible, and even the creeping root-stocks of the 

 bristle fern, as they like the air and do not burrow. Now 

 put on your glass, and place the case where it gets 



Ample Light but No Sunshine; 



close the doors and even the ventilating apertures, and 

 leave it severely alone for a month or two, by which time 

 ample evidence of growth will certainly be afforded if the 

 above instructions are complied with, and the plants were 

 healthy when put in. As the moisture exhaled from the 

 soil and condensed on the glass trickles back again to the 

 soil a close case needs water rarely, but now and again. 



