530 Mk. E. J. LOWE ON SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE. 
one plant had been produced from the same prothallus, a fact 
that removes a great difficulty as regards multiple-parentage. . 
The foregoing remarks having explained the general direc- 
tion of previous investigations, I now come to special work. 
In 1887 I determined to investigate the results of dividing 
Fern prothalli, and in the autumn of that year spores were 
very thinly sown, in order to procure single vigorous prothalli 
that would allow of division into four portions. In 1888 
a number of these were divided, 25 prothalli produced 
100 divisions, and the experiment was so successful that 
96 of the plants grew. Many of the divisions had no rootlets, 
but these were soon formed when the cultures were kept in a 
damp, close atmosphere under bell-glasses. These divisions 
grew into sturdy little tufts, much more bush-like than those 
prothalli that had not been divided. 
The prothalli were divided on the assumption that, except 
under rare circumstances, the archegouia were widely separated 
from the antheridia and that it might be possible to keep them 
on different divisions, that such was true these experiments 
have proved, for with 48 portions that had archegonia, not one 
produced fronds until the male portions were brought in 
contact with them. It may be mentioned that some of the 
divisions were purposely left carefully guarded against any 
chance of the contact of sperms from antheridia, and one of 
these now under examination at the Royal Gardens, Kew, was 
divided on January 6th, 1888, and left here on January 7th, 
1896, still in the prothalloid condition. I have been able to 
keep this (and many others) from frond-life for eight years. 
In February, 1592, all of the divided prothalli of 1888 were 
alive, yet none had developed frond-life. In some of the 
examples the whole four portions were planted in a half-pint 
flower pot, an inch apart, and kept closely protected by a bell- 
glass; at this distance apart the antheridia did not affect the 
archegonia. 
In February, 1892, most of the divisions seemed unhealthy, 
an were repotted, two of these had portions having antheridia 
planted as closely as possible to two others having archegonia, 
im order to ascertain if any sexual life remained, and in July 
three distinct frondlets appeared, whilst the remaining isolated 
portions retained their prothalloid life only. 
