THE FERN CHAPTER AT THE BOSTON MEETING. 



While the Fern Chapter of the Agassiz Association has been in 

 existence for six years, the first actual meeting of the members was 

 held in Boston on August 24th of this year, with about twenty mem- 

 bers present. The meeting was held in Horticultural Hall, and in 

 absence of the president, Willard N. Clute was elected chairman. To 

 the cordial address of welcome from Mr. George E. Davenport, Rev. 

 James A. Bates made a happy reply in behalf of the members of the 

 Chapter. 



The first paper, on " Hybridity in Ferns," was presented by Mr. 

 George E. Davenport, who discussed the possibility of fern hybrids. 

 His paper was prefaced by some remarks on the variation in the 

 fronds of dimorphic ferns. Dr. A. J. Grout illustrated his paper on 

 "An Interesting Variety of Osmunda Claytoniana," by herbarium 

 specimens oi the plant in question. In the absence of Miss Mary A. 

 Fleming, her paper on the " Ferns of the Urals and Caucasus," de- 

 tailing a trip through these regions, was read by the secretary. The 

 paper by Willard N. Clute, on "The Distribution of Some Eastern 

 American Ferns," discussed some eastern ferns with restricted ranges. 



Mr. B. D. Gilbert's paper on "The Genera of Ferns; a Study in 

 the Tribe Aspidieae," in which he proposed several important changes 

 in the disposition of the genus Aspidium and allied groups, was of 

 much interest. Three hundred specimens were used by Mr. Alvah 

 A. Eaton to illustrate his "Notes on a Peculiar Botrychium," which he 

 held to be a new species or a remarkable variation of an old one. 

 Mrs. E. G. Britton ended the programme with an interesting " Study 

 of Ophioglossum vulgatum," in which she spoke of the recent 

 changes in the way in which the so-called forms of this species have 

 been regarded. 



A field meeting had been planned for the afternoon, but those at- 

 tending the morning session found so tnany things to discuss that it 

 was decided to return to the hall and spend the rest of the day in con- 

 versation. This session proved fully as enjoyable as the other. 



The hall was decorated with many varieties of our native ferns in 

 vases and several members exhibited herbarium specimens, notably 

 Mr. Davenport and Miss Zirngiebel. Upon invitation of Mr. W. R. 

 Davis a visit was made to the rooms of the Apalachin Club, where a 

 collection of exotic ferns was seen. — IV. N. Clute in The Fern Bulletin 

 for October. 



The herbarium of the Missouri Botanical Garden, according to 

 the last annual report of the director, contains about 288,380 speci- 

 mens, and the library includes 31,013 books and pamphlets. 



