GROWING FERNS IN THE HOME 



E. I. FARRINGTON 



Simple Rules for the 

 Management of the 

 Most Decorative Group 

 of Plants, Once so Popu- 

 lar, and Now Again 

 Claiming Attention by 

 Force of Sheer Beauty 

 and Merit 



THE POPULAR BOSTON FERN 



This most generally adaptable Fern for all-round decorative use is a form of the Sword-fern (Nephrolepis exaltata). First 

 appearing with a Boston florist about 1890 it has since given rise to a multitude of other variations in habit and frond 



W'.-s^EEN interest in Ferns has been aroused by the great 

 m&S?. Fern Show to he held by the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 H^^jf tural Society, beginning September 22, the first show 

 X'Si^. of the kind ever staged in America. Ferns have been 

 known all down through the ages, for they represent a very old 

 primitive type of vegetation, and have been sometimes prized 

 and sometimes feared, for the ancients believed that while cer- 

 tain kinds had a beneficent influence, others were always sur- 

 rounded by evil spirits. 



While there are many beautiful Ferns native to the Northern 

 states, most of them are deciduous, and consequently not of 

 value for home decoration. From other parts of the world, 



THE ROOSEVELT 

 FERN 



One of the more recent and 



popular forms of the very 



variable Boston Fern 



however, come evergreen species which are among the most 

 ornamental of plants which can be grown indoors, whether in 

 greenhouse or dwelling. 



Popular Fallacies about Fern Growing 



THERE are several mistaken ideas about the culture required 

 by Ferns, which accounts for many reported failures. For 

 one thing, they do not need to be kept wet. They grow naturally 

 in moist locations, to be sure, but are very shallow rooted, so 

 that the roots do not stand in water. Most kinds will thrive 

 fairly well in a north window, if they get plenty of light, but 

 they will grow yellow and spindling in a dark corner of the room. 

 On the other hand, they are not averse to a little sunlight, pro- 

 vided they are given water enough to compensate for the in- 

 creased transpiration. Yet it is true that different species are 

 somewhat notional in this matter. The Boston Fern and simi- 

 lar forms are the most adaptable, growing well in almost any 

 location where there is good light, if they are not shifted too 

 suddenly from one environment to another. Indeed, they can 

 be grown equally well indoors or out if this one point is kept in 

 mind. It should be borne in mind that the "cresting" of 

 the now numerous variations of this popular Fern is inclined to 

 disappear in heavy shade. 



It is a common belief that Ferns are especially fussy about 

 the kind of soil which encases their roots. This, again, is a 

 mistake. Some of them, notably those of the Nephrolepis 

 family, of which the Boston" Fern is the best known, will do well 

 in any good garden loam with a little sand added. 



While the statement is often made that manure is inimical to 

 success with Ferns, the fact remains that commercial growers 

 often mix a liberal amount of well rotted barnyard dressing 

 with the compost which they are preparing for Ferns of the 

 Nephrolepis type. Let it be said, though — and this is important 

 — that the manure must not be fresh. Indeed, it is best to let 

 the compost stand for a few days after it has been mixed so that 

 the danger of burning will be avoided. 



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