THE TRUE MAIDENHAIR. 
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But as a cultivated plant it is not rare, for, like 
all our Ferns, the myriads of seeds which each 
plant bears enable it to be extensively propagated. 
Artificially grown, it will, in warm, moist, and 
sheltered situations, live and thrive in the open- 
air rockery. But its excessively delicate nature 
requires peculiar care, and renders it more espe¬ 
cially adapted for indoor cultivation. And to 
grow it successfully indoors, especial attention 
must be given to its requirements. It cannot 
bear the sudden changes in temperature to which 
the atmosphere of some sitting-rooms is subject. 
When there is an equable temperature main¬ 
tained, and the air is not too dry—as, for instance, 
in rooms which are not constantly inhabited— 
this Fern will thrive in pots, in the proper soil, 
without any covering. But otherwise a covering 
of glass is essential, so as to keep around the 
plant a perpetual moisture. With such a cover¬ 
ing it will revel in the warmth of inhabited rooms, 
and become a delightful companion for the Fern- 
lover, distilling on the points of its fronds the 
dewdrops of its prison. A light soil, suited to 
the delicate nature of the plant, must be provided 
