35 
The Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol. Ill, No. 3. 
ADAPTABILITY IN FERNS. 
W. E. Wei.i.s. 
A few years ago while making a collection of Licking County, 
Ohio, ferns, the idea of starting a fernery suggested itself. A 
few of the common species had already been planted on the north 
side of the house. To these more were added until a large num- 
ber of the ferns of the country and some from distant localities 
were making themselves at home in the door-yard. 
The house mentioned is at Granville, being built on the hill-side 
and standing upon a terrace. The north side of the house faces 
the bank which was made in cutting down to the terrace. There 
is a space from six to eight feet wide between the house and bank. 
The rain-wash is carried off by a ditch at the base of the bank. 
Only a few inches of the foundation of the house show above the 
ground. The kitchen being narrower than the main part of the 
house, an angle is formed. In this angle and all along the entire 
length of the building the ferns are planted. The excavated 
bank, the north exposure and the angle in the house, combine to 
furnish the conditions favorable for ordinary fern growth. Shady 
conditions do not, however, prevail throughout the entire day. 
For during most of the year the morning and afternoon sun 
shines along the north side of the house, from one to four hours 
a day ; the remainder of the time it is quite shad}', and yet there 
is no noticeable moisture. 
The method used in planting was to put the large, tall species 
next to the house, and the smaller ones further forward. The 
soil was enriched occasionally and a little sand was also added. 
In the driest summer months the ferns were watered occasionally, 
but beyond this they have received but little attention. At pres- 
ent they are all in flourishing condition. Only one has been lost, 
Polypodium vulgare. It did well at first but died about six 
months after it was transplanted. 
Propagation has been very active in many of the species. In 
fact some have spread so rapidly as to endanger their less thrifty 
neighbors. In such cases a weeding-out process became necessary. 
A few of the members of this unique colony deserve special 
mention. Asplenium ruta-muraria was transplanted from the top 
of an isolated limestone rock in Clifton Gorge, Greene County, 
and is growing well in the totally different soil and surroundings. 
Osmunda regalis was taken from a pond situated in a dense wood. 
The roots and stems formed a large hummock in the center of the 
pond. About a cubic foot of the root mass was taken with the 
fronds for transplanting. In its new environment it has had 
comparatively little moisture, yet it grows quite vigorously. 
IAllaea was taken from a crevice in the rocks, where there seemed 
