258 



An ideal spot for a moist fernery would be a sloping 

 hillside at a moderate altitude above surrounding ground. 

 I have such a spot on the North-West side of Cader Idris, 

 and about half the distance from the summit, in my mind's 

 eye. Here there is ample air drainage and there would 

 be a total absence of late spring frosts which often prove 

 so disastrous in low-lying districts. The ground is always 

 wet, never even approaching dryness, and cool summer 

 conditions prevail. The matter of water drainage is 

 usually overdone and we are all apt to err on the side of too 

 much drainage. A wet sloping bank or hillside would 

 require no drainage, gravity would do all that is necessary 

 in the way of removing surface water. Your readers will 

 observe that in a permanently wet outdoor fernery no 

 hoeing can be done, and it is in fact here unnecessary. 

 The use of the hoe is to keep the land moist, and if this 

 can be effected without labour, so much the better. 



As regards the under-glass fernery : A fernery requiring 

 constant artificial watering is rather a nuisance, and 

 watered ferns are seldom permanently happy, therefore 

 the fernery site should be so moist that all watering is 

 unnecessary and the watering can ought to be banished 

 from the fernery. I am assuming, of course, that your 

 readers have discarded pot culture, and have adopted 

 the more commonsense method of planting out. The 

 main difficulty in establishing a wet non-drained fernery 

 on a wet bottom is that of maintaining the soil in a light 

 and open condition. The soil in which the ferns are to 

 be planted should be introduced in a perfectly dry state at 

 the time of planting, and should be spread out on the wet 

 boggy land above described, to a depth of 9 to 12 inches, 

 according to the size of the plants to be dealt with. As 

 regards the growing medium ferns are not very fastidious 



