83 



If there be any and they have no means of obtaining 

 spores otherwise, I shall be most happy to send mixed 

 spores from cay a dozen distinct varieties to any member 

 who cares to send me during the summer a stamped 

 addressed envelope. 



Valleyfield, Penicuik. Alex. Cowan. 



That Lastvea montanci is equally amenable to ordinary 

 garden culture is evidenced by the fact that I have several 

 very fine varieties in my garden at Acton, Middlesex, and 

 that they established themselves with ease and have grown 

 robustly in somewhat sunny positions for se\'eral years. 

 The soil is a good yellow friable loam and gravel, and 

 except when there has been a specially long period of 

 drought, no watering has been needed. Apropos of 

 spore sowing of this species, the late Mr. Barnes was very 

 successful and attributed this partly to the fact that he 

 always sowed his spores on sloping soil. Editor. 



SEED BEARERS AND SPORE BEARERS. 



The Plant world is divided into two great and distinct 

 classes, viz. those which propagate themselves by seeds 

 and those which produce spores for that purpose. To the 

 former class belong all flowering plants, for it is the 

 primary object of the flowers to act as adjuncts to the seed 

 vessels and, as a rule, attract the insect world, which aids so 

 materially in the fertilization of the seeds by the convey- 

 ance of the pollen from one flower to another. There are, 

 however, many flowering plants which are independent of 

 this aid, but in all these we find the decorati\'e part of the 

 flower to be reduced to a minimum, and it is only those 

 essential parts, the stigmas and stamens, which are mainly 

 in evidence. The spore-bearing plants embrace all the sea- 

 weeds, fresh water algae and microscopic vegetable life, the 

 Lichens and Marchantias which clothe our rocks with 

 encrusted verdure, the mosses, the Ferns and Equisetums- 



