CHAPTER IX. 
POT CULTURE OE FERNS. 
Proof of the wide adaptability of Fern culture to the circum- 
stances of all classes, even of the humblest, is furnished by 
the circumstance that one of the most interesting branches of 
this attractive pursuit is the cultivation of these charming- 
plants in pots. Yet even here, narrow as the field for the 
exercise of taste may appear to be, there is, nevertheless, a 
considerable variety of means to the end. Art may be ex- 
hausted in the attempt to create chaste and fanciful contri- 
vances for holding individual Ferns in so small a space. Tin' 
receptacle may be cut in the most delicate forms of crystal. 
Lt may be moulded in the most elegant styles of majolica, 
terra-cotta, or after the most approved designs in silver — 
nay, or even in gold. We cannot condemn the taste which 
would seek to surround the charmingly-fronded child of 
the woods with the most costly productions of man’s art. 
But we would remark that such ornamentations are not 
needed, and that indeed the simpler and soberer in colour the 
chosen Fern-pot is, the more charming and graceful will the 
Fern appear. 
But enough of dissertations as to the character of the 
Fern-pot. Its chief recommendation is that it admits of 
being placed anywhere. The potted plant represents a little 
bit of the Fern world. There it is, as we may imagine it, 
with its gracefully curling fronds and its surrounding of 
green moss; and wherever it is brought its freshness and 
