INTRODUCTION. 
3 
Ever in summer’s heat— 
Ever in winter’s cold — 
Ever in spring’s young verdure— 
Ever in autumn’s gold — 
Welling up from its secret urn, 
Purling its wreath of nodding fern, 
Pure and cool to the thirsty lip, 
Ages have echoed that ceaseless drip. 5 * 
Wander where you will in the open country, you are 
sure of finding ferns. If it be a chalky soil or a very 
flat district, you may only find a few common sorts ; but 
if you have access to woods and hills, old walls and 
rocks, especially if the rocks be near the sea, a great 
number of species will reward your search. Botanists 
living in the country enjoy the privilege of observing 
ferns in their natural habitat all the year round, but 
those w T ho reside in town only enjoy that privilege for a 
brief period, and at rare intervals. But these may ob- 
viate such disadvantages by bringing plants home, and 
domesticating them in a Wardian case; thus they can 
observe their structure and growth even more accurately 
than the country botanist, and become thoroughly ac- 
quainted with their every peculiarity. 
Fern-lovers, wdiether they regard ferns scientifically, 
grouping them with their natural surroundings in well- 
contrived artificial ferneries, or cherishing them in con- 
servatories and Wardian cases, must be lovers of nature ; 
and as to love nature is to love God’s work, and to 
study nature is to observe the mind of God, such love 
and such study must exercise an ennobling and purify- 
ing effect on the human soul. 
All plants are divided into certain groups. 
1st. Exogens, or such as increase their stem by 
external addition. To this class belong all forest trees 
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