THE RUSTY WOODSIA IN CULTIVATION. 



By Mrs. J. J. Puffer. 



I was much interested in the article about the fernworts 

 on Mt. Tom, Massachusetts, in the October Bulletin of 

 1905. Several years ago I visited Mts. Tom and Hol- 

 yoke, and saw those same fernworts, the rusty woodsia 

 and rock selaginella, growing — no, just barely existing — 

 on the seemingly bare rocks, trampled upon and exposed 

 to the full heat of the summer sun till they were dried to 

 a crisp, and out of pity for them I loosened one tuft from 

 its hold with my fingers and brought it home, and now 

 you ought to see it ! 



I was told then that they would not grow unless on a 

 mountain, but, with woman's natural persistency, I vowed 

 I would make them grow if I had to build a little moun- 

 tain for them. On arriving home. I looked over the situ- 

 ation and chose a stone wall which was banked to the top 

 with earth on one side. There I set them as close to the 

 stones as possible, and covered their roots with flat stones, 

 leaving only a crevice for them to grow up through. 



They are now large, thick tufts of fronds six inches 

 and more high, and fully equal to any I have ever seen 

 in their natural haunts, and I have taken specimens from 

 Mts. Wauchusett, Greylock and Holyoke, where they had 

 more soil and partial shade, which they seem to prefer. 

 My plants increase in size of tufts, and also new plants 

 from spores are often found. 



Along with them, on the same wall, I have the rock- 

 fern (Woodsia obtusa), Cystoptcris fragilis, and the little 

 maiden-hair spleenwort. At the foot of the wall on the 

 face side are the ebony spleenwort and Asplenium thelyp- 

 teris, all thriving on the same soil. 



Sudbury, Mass. 



117 



