SEA SPLEEN WORT, 
61 
luxuriance on the almost inaccessible rocks which 
abound there, where, from its situation, it is tolerably 
safe from the rapacious hands of the fern-collector. In 
the Channel Islands it is luxuriant. Its European 
range seems limited to the coasts of France and Spain. 
It is plentiful in Madeira and Teneriffe. 
Although so common a fern on our sheltered sea- 
coasts, it is very difficult to deal with artificially, and 
seldom succeeds in the open air—never in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of London. In a Ward’s case, however, 
with the Lanceolate Spleenwort and Maiden Hair, it 
does exceedingly well in a warm room. They all 
enjoy warmth, and being all evergreens of moderate 
size, are well adapted for such a position. It may here 
be remarked, that for the successful cultivation of all 
small evergreen ferns of this kind great care must be 
had to the drainage. Turfy peat and silver-sand, 
mixed with friable loam, and pieces of porous sand¬ 
stone or brick added to fibrous loam, is the composi¬ 
tion which suits them best. They should never be 
kept wet, but moderately moistened, and the roots 
tolerably dry. Separate plants of A, marinum may 
be supplied with water in which half an ounce of 
common salt to a gallon has been dissolved ; poured in 
at the root, never over the fronds. This fern is most 
difficult to dry for the herbarium, on account of the 
quantity of salt contained in its fronds. It is best to 
dry it separately, if possible, in order to prevent mis¬ 
chief to other specimens. 
