230 HOME AND GARDEN 



{Asplenium trichomanes). Common in the moister 

 climate of the west of England, but rare here, is the 

 Scaly Spleen wort {Ceterach ojfficinarum). Of old-estab- 

 lished habitats in this neighbourhood I only know 

 two. 



Twenty or more years ago a branch line of railway 

 was built, passing about three miles from where I live, 

 and running more or less north and south. There is 

 a level crossing just at the end of one of the station 

 platforms, on a road along which I often drive. Only 

 a couple of years ago, when on the crossing, I saw 

 something like a fringe of greenery growing out of 

 the upper part of the dwarf wall facing the line, that 

 brings the platform to the level of the carriage foot- 

 boards. Going to see what it was, to my delight 

 there was a tightly-packed little wild Fern-garden, all 

 growing out of one joint of the brickwork. The edge 

 of the platform and top of the wall is formed by a deep 

 and wide blackish coping-brick, with a rounded edge, 

 its top surface having a slight fall towards the line, in 

 continuation of that of the whole width of the platform. 

 Its upright face next to the line has two courses of 

 bricks below it, overhanging the lower part of the wall, 

 which from that point recedes about three inches. 

 The lowest edge of these overhanging courses is, no 

 doubt, intended to act as a " drip " for any wet that 

 runs off the platform, and very likely it does so ; but 

 some of the moisture evidently reaches the joint, and 

 at this point grows the little Fern-garden, in the one 



