26 
FERNS AND FERNERIES. 
inches deep, then garden-mould well mixed with 
decayed pieces of wood, bark, or peat; cover this with 
bog-moss ( Sphagnum ) (or sand would do), and for the 
top soil use a mixture of wood-soil (from chestnut-wood 
is best), sand, and charcoal, or, what is even better, 
pieces of burned cork ; let this upper soil be from eight 
to twelve inches deep, as a rule. Where necessary, a 
few large stones or pieces of rock may be placed for 
beauty, but in every case allow for the drainage-water 
to flow towards the centre, and not to the outside of 
the fernery, the object being to guard against a dry 
season by keeping the centre well stored with water. 
By its evaporation it would then keep up the supply of 
moisture necessary for the growth of the ferns. If the 
drainage had been directed towards the outside, the 
superfluous water would not have been stored, and the 
result would have been, even if watered daily, a gradual 
but sure drying up of the roots of the ferns, causing the 
fronds to wither and die without apparent reason. It is 
advisable to embed under the surface pieces of grass- 
turf, in dry seasons these will help to hold moisture. 
It will also be advisable to plant some of the follow- 
