150 
BRITISH FERNS. 
no art, or any particular degree of attention, to be necessary with 
plants that thrive in our hedge-rows, upon bleak unpromising up¬ 
lands, or on the margins of moor and morass; they soon find, 
however, that their ideas in this respect are erroneous, and that 
a knowledge of the habits, together with considerable care, is 
necessary, to have the fronds perfect, and the fructification well 
developed. 
I am not now about to speak of the charm which may be 
imparted to rural scenes through the aid of this family, the finish 
that may be given to sequestered retreats, waterfalls, or other 
natural objects coming within the gardener’s sphere of action, by 
their introduction, but of their management when grown in pots, 
a situation which must be acknowledged the most unnatural and 
inappropriate that can be imagined for them, and one in which 
nothing but the utmost perfection of growth can render them 
tolerable. 
The first requisite is a supply of good peat : the staple of this 
should be formed of decayed vegetable matter, for though ferns 
may be found inhabiting spots where the soil is of quite a 
different character, few or none refuse to grow in this material, 
which, moreover, may be varied in quality by mixing loam or 
sand as it may seem necessary to suit the requirements of each 
species. Those derived from open moor or heath land generally 
thrive in very sandy soil, while those from the neighbourhood 
of rivulets require an unctuous, almost loamy earth, and others 
that are natives of marshes will be found to grow best when a 
proportion of moss is added to the peat; these particulars have 
to be determined by the nature of the localities the several kinds 
are known to affect, and on their variations the judgment of the 
cultivator is brought into play. Ferns are not fond of frequent 
shifting, we should therefore allow them sufficient root-room to 
carry them at least through one season; but, on the other hand, as 
they do not make a particular abundance of roots, and those which 
are formed, in the majority of species, are very small, we must not 
over-pot them ; a twelve-inch pot will accommodate what may be 
considered a fine specimen of nearly all the British ferns, except¬ 
ing only a few of the largest, as Osmunda regal is, &c. Very 
ample drainage is always essential; for though they delight in 
moisture, and only thrive in damp shady places, in cultivation 
