80 
The Fern Garden . 
the remainder to attain maturity and shed their spores 
for the next season. 
Hymenophyllum. — H. Tunbridgense is the Tun- 
bridge filmy fern, a cynosure, a paragon, a paradox. It 
represents a race, all of which require similar treatment. 
They are all easily grown if dealt with in a proper 
manner in the first instance. Suppose we consider 
how to grow a nice patch of any of them. Get a large 
earthenware pan (flower-pot ware) and a bell-glass to 
fit fairly within the rim. A fifteen-inch glass would be 
best, but one half that size will do to begin with. 
Spread over the bottom of the pan a layer of broken 
pots, then lay down a bed of very sandy peat — say peat 
and silver sand equal parts. On this bed place some 
blocks of stone of the size of the fist, and less, and press 
them down, and fill in between them with the same 
mixture of peat and sand. Make all this quite firm — 
make it, in fact, hard . Now draw out a small stone, 
and introduce the plant, spreading out its black hair- 
like roots, which cover with the mixture, and bed it in 
close, so that it will sit, so to speak, close to the general 
surface of the stone. If you can plant little pieces all 
over the pan between the stones, you may get the pan 
filled more quickly, but it is a risk for a beginner to 
tear up a plant as a practised hand would do. Wet the 
whole by means of a fine syringe ; place the bell-glass 
on, and press it slightly so as to make it fit pretty close, 
and place the pan in a warm room near the window, or 
in a snug, warm, shady corner of the greenhouse, or in 
a cool part of the stove, and do not look at it for a week ; 
then take off the glass and give another gentle sprinkle, 
