14 



A TEIIN BOOK TOR EYErtYBODT. 



for drainage as too few : moderation is best, and, as a rule, 

 wbat would be considered good drainage for ordinary pot 

 plants will answer very w^eli for ferns. From whatever 

 soil they may be taken, it is surprising how soon ferns 

 will accommodate themselves to the loam and peat in 

 which they are usually grown. The rock-loving species 

 are best grown in a mixture of broken brickbats, old 

 mortar, and sandy loam, taking care that they are not 

 stinted of moisture in the summer, and but slightly 

 moistened during the winter. Many species are very 

 impatient of any moisture at their crowns, so that it is a 

 good plan to keep the crowns elevated to the level, or a 

 little above the level, of the pot. We have found tliat 

 all tbe plants which, required to be transferred to larger 

 pots — an operation which becomes essential every two or 

 three years — may be removed as well in the early spring 

 as at any other season of the year, and much better than 

 during the winter. A great deal is said and written about 

 plenty of light and air, but too much of either is certainly 

 a disadvantage in fern culture. At all times of the year, 

 except about three months in the winter, we should 

 certainly recommend shading them more or less, accord- 

 ing to the strength of sunlight. Water is another point 

 on which theory and practice often differ. Ferns will 

 certainly never fiourisli in a dry powdery condition of the 

 soil, nor will they continue to do so when it is perma- 

 nently saturated with moisture. A moist atmosphere is 

 better than all the syringing in the world : in fact, the 

 continual squirting of water over the foliage and crowns 

 of many ferns, except the hardiest, is simply dooming them 

 to death. liain- water in moderation, no direct glare of 

 sunlight, gradual admission of air when the temperature 

 is too high, and the careful destruction of small slugs and 

 all similar pests, are the best rules to remember. 



For the introduction of the method of growing plants 

 in closed cases we are indebted to Mr. N. JB. Ward, from 

 whom such cases are generally denominated Wardian 

 cases. There are two errors commonly entertained with 

 regard to the growth of ferns in closed cases. One error 



