House Ferneries 
little loam will not hurt. If you have no peat, leal 
mouid will do in its place. This you can find in any 
woods. Look in the hollows for it. It is composed 
of decayed leaves and vegetable matter, accumulated 
for years. Rake off the leaves and you will find it 
sometimes one inch in depth and often a little 
deeper. 
Filling the fernery. —T. he ope¬ 
ration of planting the little fern¬ 
ery seems like a very simple 
operation and yet it requires 
considerable skill and experi¬ 
ence to do it neatly. Do not 
fill the dish or fernery with 
soil and then attempt to plant 
the plants in it. You will find 
you cannot make a nice |ob 
of it in this way. The better 
way is to stand the plants in 
the dish first, and then carefully 
fill in the soil between the 
plants, pressing it down firmly 
and evenly all over. 
What plants are suitable.- 
Plants in dinner ferneries have 
much to contend with and it is 
very necessary to use only 
plants that can stand pretty 
rough usage. Native ferns 
seldom do for this purpose, as 
they are mostly deciduous, 
and have lost their foliage 
and will not keep green and 
pretty. There is the common 
rock fern that some use, but 
the trouble with it is that while 
out of doors they will stay 
green in the cold; they soon 
turn yellow when brought to 
the furnace heat of the dining¬ 
room. 
Common hardy greenhouse 
ferns are the best to use for this 
purpose. Very many varieties used 
to be grown for this purpose, but first 
one was dropped then another until 
ten or twelve would now cover the 
list considered suitable. 
The last one to be given the “cold 
shoulder’’ was the universal favorite, Adiantum 
cuneatum , better known as the common maiden¬ 
hair fern. It was really the maiden-hair fern that 
made the ferneries so attractive and made their 
adoption as a table ornament so very universal. 
But it would not stand the dry air of the house, 
burning and scalding badly and turning yellow in 
less than a week. 
In filling ferneries either a stronger growing and 
Adiantum Farleyense 
erect fern should be used or what is preferable, 
a Cocos trcddelliana, a beautiful small fern-like 
palm, with shiny dark green foliage. It should 
stand just a little higher than the ferns and always 
~ in the center. 
Small variegated leaved crotons make very pretty 
and attractive centerpieces, their beautiful vari¬ 
egated foliage contrasting well with the 
green ferns. As to the ferns to 
use we believe the following 
varieties with ordinary care and 
attention will always do reasonably 
well and prove quite satisfactory: 
Lastrea anstata variegata, a low- 
growing variety, with variegated 
foliage, very, very glossy, quite 
hardy and will stand neglect and 
furnace heat as well as any fern. 
Pteris serrulata, a very pretty 
common greenhouse fern, low 
growing and very hardy. 
Pteris serrulata enst at a, very 
similar to the serrulata, but 
having the buds of its fronds 
beautifully crested. 
Pteris adi antifoh a, a very 
hardy and vigorous low-grow¬ 
ing fern; very dark green 
glossy foliage; much used as 
it stands the dry air well. 
Pteris Cretica, very hardy- 
in the house, peculiar long 
fronds, light green. 
Pteris Cretica albo- 
hneata, similar to the 
above, with beautifully 
variegated green and white 
foliage; one of the prettiest 
and best for small fer¬ 
neries. 
Pteris pal mat a, very dwarf, 
with broad heavy green 
fronds, stands dry air well. 
Pteris Tremula, a most beauti¬ 
ful fern, easy to grow, makes a 
fine single specimen, much 
used in dinner ferneries. 
Onychium Japoni cum, a 
very beautiful fine lace fern, 
grows very well in the fernery. Its fine foliage is 
necessary for variety. 
Davallia stricta, one of the best of all greenhouse 
ferns. The fronds are particularly pretty and of a 
beautiful shade of green. 
Adiantum capillaris ornerus, is a variety that 
adds grace and daintiness to a fernery. 
To be successful with the fernery it should only 
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