Planted Out. 
57 
deciduous species and varieties ; but there is abso- 
lutely no reason why the more ornamental deciduous 
Ferns that succeed well in the cool Fernery should 
not be planted among the evergreen ones, so that 
when the former are deprived of their fronds their 
places should not remain conspicuously bare. 
Although, when planted out, Ferns require compara- 
tively little attention, yet the operation of watering 
requires to be performed with a good deal of dis- 
crimination. The use of a hose attached to a cold- 
water pipe (as is frequently seen in private estab- 
lishments) for the purpose, must be condemned. 
Not only is such water generally far too cold, but 
by being poured among the roots of the plants in 
much greater volume than is needed, these get into 
a bad state of health, from which they take a long 
time to recover. A useful rule is not to use water 
at a lower temperature than that of the house in 
which it is to be employed. Moreover, frequently 
fronds, as well as roots, are dripping, which is highly 
injurious to the plants. Fern fronds taken gene- 
Tolly are all the better for being kept dry. The 
fronds of Filmy Ferns are, however, an exception to 
this rule. The watering-can and the syringe alone 
should be employed, as with them the individual 
requirements of each plant may be studied, which is 
impossible with the hose. 
As far as possible, watering should be performed 
on the morning of a bright day, so that the extra 
quantity of moisture incidental thereto may rapidly 
evaporate. Condensation on the foliage, if too 
frequently taking place, will invariably discolour, 
and eventually rot the fronds. To avoid frequent 
waterings (which must necessarily impoverish the 
soil), it is advisable, on bright mornings and all 
through the summer, slightly to damp the surface of 
the ground among the plants with the syringe. This 
helps to maintain the surface of the soil, where the 
majority of the young roots are found, in a uniform 
state of moisture. 
It should be scarcely necessary to state that at 
no season of the year should Ferns be allowed to 
