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connection that at last " there was something new under 

 the sun," which indeed, so far as records went, proved to be 

 the case when the new phenomenon of " Apospory " was 

 demonstrated, proved and accepted by the Linnean Society. 

 Who could avoid becoming an enthusiastic hobbyist when 

 so rewarded, not by the acquisition of an inanimate piece 

 of bric-a-brac or a new or old postage-stamp, but by a 

 discovery which enabled me to produce from a bit of a 

 fern frond of a peculiarly beautiful type, and as a barren 

 fern, individually unique, some hundreds of counterparts 

 for wide distribution. In artificial hobbies, as we have 

 defined them, there are, at any rate, no experiences of this 

 enthralling kind. The recent experience with Polystichum 

 aculeatum pulchcvrimiim is another stroke of absolute luck 

 due to nothing but a desire to increase a beautiful parental 

 form, rare because always deemed barren, and a host of 

 far lovelier and quite new varieties is vouchsafed both to 

 Mr. Green, who made a joint sowing, and myself. 



Many of my old fellow Fern hobbyists, who, alas ! in 

 many cases have joined the majority, have been signally 

 fortunate in another line, viz. that of Fern hunting, adding 

 scores and even hundreds to the list of known and beautiful 

 varieties, by their assiduous search in the districts round 

 about them. These discoveries were mostly favoured by 

 residence in the ferny districts of Great Britain, but I, 

 a Londoner born and bred and constantly resident therein, 

 had but the autumn week or two, and these only in occa- 

 sional years, to devote to this branch of the hobby, and yet 

 fortune has favoured me again with numerous finds of value 

 as a proof that it is well within the competence of the town 

 dwelling Fern hobbyist to reap success in that direction. 



One point I have always borne in mind and recommend 

 strongly to my fellow enthusiasts, and that is not to hide 

 their light under a bushel by failing to record and publish 

 their discoveries or experiences for the benefit of their 

 fellow Fern lovers. This does not involve, or, at any rate, 

 should not involve censure for egotism. Personal experience 



