28 
THE FERN TARADISE. 
as though smitten by a plague of locusts. The 
desire to have some green remembrancer of the 
country side gives the key-note to Mr. Heath’s 
book. How may the flowerless and treeless 
monotony of the city be remedied ? Is it possible 
to alter the present condition of things, and to 
clothe our streets with shade and verdure, and to 
make our desert places blossom like the rose ? 
This problem is now attracting the attention of 
many earnest observers, and has been repeatedly 
referred to in these pages. Mr. Heath’s work is 
a distinct contribution to the solution of this ques¬ 
tion. Whether regarded from an aesthetic or from 
a philanthropic point of view, the question is one 
of exceeding interest.’ As to the practicability 
of utilizing Ferns for purposes of ornamentation, 
the writer in The British Architect accepts the 
conclusions of the Author of this volume, agree¬ 
ing that we have at hand in Ferns 6 a very cheap 
and effective instrument for both internal and ex¬ 
ternal decoration,’ and one that ‘ is capable of 
being far more extensively used than is at present 
the case;’ and expressing further the belief that at 
least one result of the Author’s ‘ Plea’ for Fern- 
