96 Mr. Linpsay's Account of the ` 
very polite letter from Sir Jofeph, Banks, Bart. P, R. Si dated. 
March 29, 1789, where, after mentioning fome other plants, he 
obferved that ferns would be particularly acceptable. In anfwer I 
obferved, that the rifk of carrying many of the ferns alive fuch a 
diftance was great, and propofed to fend fome of their feeds, which, 
being properly fown, I had reafon to believe would grow. He very 
foon informed me that, if I could furnifh the means of making the 
ferns of this ifland grow in England from the feeds, I fhould have 
the credit of making a very valuable difcovery, and requefted I 
would fend him fome feeds, with my notes on this fubjeét, by. the 
firft opportunity. Being now. more convinced that the feeds, and 
progrefs of the germination of ferns, were ftill but little known, I 
collected the feeds of 16 or 18 different forts, and (owed them in a 
flower-pot i in my room, of about 10 inches diameter, each in a fe- 
parate fpace, and marked. I kept the pot in my room, and watered 
them duly. They all appeared between the roth and 2oth day, in 
the form of a fmall green mofs on the furface, and at length were. 
putting on the membranaceous, form, when they were all deftroyed 
by being expofed to the fun in a dry hot day. _ I repeated the fow- 
ing of nee feeds in the flower-pot ; and alfo fowed others in the ~ 
mouth of a marle pit, fhaded from the fun's rays, where no ferns of 
_ the fame kind had grown before. They are all now growing; and 
thofe i in the flower-pot have made fome progrefs in the membra- 
nous form; and in the marle pit they are beginning to put out 
the leaves peculiar to their fpecies.—Having now pointed out the 
feeds, or that part of the fru&ification, from which the young plants 
-= of this beautiful and curious tribe of vegetables, the ferns, arife, and 
fhown the beginning of their germination and progrefs of their 
growth ; it remains to fay a. few words iconçentny the gathering 
and fowing of their feeds, 
: o The feeds of ferns may be procured Mb, panels and cafe by 
= —, 2 | s 
P 
takin g 
