50 HARDY FERNS. 
of tidy fitness for the purpose for which it was 
designed. 
My Fernery was like my book of dried Ferns : 
for a year or two it presented instances of my 
failures rather than of my success. I planted large 
Ferns at the top — Filix-mas cristata, Filix-foemina 
with black stalks, Onoclea sensibilis, Lastreas, and 
Oreopteris. As time went on I found this plan 
would not succeed ; the drip from the large Ferns 
saturated the next tier of plants ; and wherever the 
drip fell, the fronds became decayed and mouldy. 
This I have found to be invariably the case. I 
also found the i)lants on the side of the Fernery 
under the shadow of the Elm tree gradually grow 
unhealthy-looldng and dwindle away, A Poly- 
podium cambricum, which is now a mass of healthy 
fronds and brown creeping roots, for two years 
obstinately refused to give me more than two little 
stunted fronds ; but directly I moved it to an open 
sunny space, it seemed to smile in my face, and 
very soon new and fine fronds were sent up to 
thank me. 
