by new " finds " and selective culture during more than 

 half a century since they last enjoyed popularity, but to 

 those outside the society, it may be well to state that at the 

 period indicated, the thoroughbred wild finds or "sports" 

 were comparatively few in number, and that, very unwisely, 

 a considerable number of inferior, defective, and inconstant 

 forms were propagated and distributed with the inevitable 

 result that the really beautiful forms were swamped. For 

 this reason popularity declined, and eventually the cult 

 was only pursued by a small coterie of enthusiastic fern 

 hunters, raisers, and selectors who maintained collections, 

 and by new discoveries and fortunate sowings have 

 gradually accumulated such an immense amount of material 

 that the new era of popularity is little likely to w^ane for 

 the same reason as previously. 



The late Mr. E. J. Lowe's list of British Ferns, pub- 

 lished in 1891, records and describes nearly two thousand 

 distinct forms, to which many have been added since. 

 From this list and the subsequent acquisitions, the Society 

 compiled in 1901 "The Book of British Ferns," which 

 confined itself entirely to the thoroughbred, symmetrical, 

 and constant varieties which it deemed worthy of culti- 

 vation. This book, which is profusely illustrated and deals 

 in separate sections with both the popular and scientific 

 side of the " cult," brought the records up to the said date, 

 and is obtainable either from the Secretary , or Messrs. 

 Newnes, price 3/6, post free 3/9. 



The literature of British Ferns is fairly copious, but in 

 the great majority of cases only deals with the normal 

 ferns, and hence, from the Society's point of view, may be 

 largely ignored. The exceptions are Britten's "European 

 Ferns," Moore's " Nature Printed Ferns," 1859, E. J. 

 Lowe's, "Our Native Ferns," 1867 (2 vols.), "New 

 and Rare Ferns " (i vol.), and the small pocket list 

 already mentioned, " British Ferns," 1891, plus those 

 above alluded to. It may, however, be confidently 

 asserted that the " Book of British Ferns," which is 

 profusely illustrated, is the only one which deals, from the 



