FERNS 



of Oyiiuiii(l. It is crisp and tender and is good to eat. 

 It tastes somewhat like raw cabljage. 



While all members of the Osmimda famil}' are so 

 common in America, only one, the flowering fern, is 

 found in Europe. It is one of the handsomest of Brit- 

 ish ferns. One of the EngHsh authors speaks of this 

 plant as the ''flower-crowned prince of British ferns." 



THE LADY FERN 



The picture shows you a fc^-n found in all parts of 

 our country. Sometimes it is seen growing among a 



tangle of wild things in 

 the pasture, sometimes 

 by the roadside, and 

 again in the low moist 

 woodland. 



The fronds spring up 

 in circles from a large 

 rootstock, often reaching 

 a height of thi-ee feet or 

 more. Notice how deli- 

 cate and lacehke the}^ 

 look. 



If you visit the haunts 

 of (he lady fern in May, 

 \'ou will find the earliest 

 44 



The Ladv Fern. 



