A FERN PARADISE A T HOME. 109 
proper development — are often beyond the reach 
of the poor : and no one brings the roots of wild- 
flowers into our towns. If they were brought 
hither they would pine away, perhaps more 
quickly than our garden flowers ; and they at 
least would not thrive any better in the absence 
of that one vitalising element — sun. But ferns 
that grow in wild woods, and open plains, are in 
the free right of all who choose to gather them. 
They are gathered sometimes and brought into 
our towns and cities by itinerant vendors ; but you 
seldom see them in the dwellings of the poor. 
They nevertheless might be there. If there were 
a demand the poor purveyors of the poor would 
soon bring a supply from the free wild country 
where they grow ; and there would be that de- 
mand if the poor knew more about these lovely 
plants. 
Ferns will grow where flowering plants would 
perish. They require moisture and shade — not 
stagnant, but percolating moisture. Place them 
where you will — on the floor, on the table of a 
dimly-lighted room, in the sunless window-sill, in 
