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varying from the normal. My experience is that under 

 luxurious conditions ferns remain normal, and even under 

 cultivation I have seen ferns of undoubted quality grow 

 coarse, and in some cases revert to the common type. 



A friend of mine, an enthusiastic fern hunter, some time 

 ago found in a wood an exceptionally good ramo-cristate 

 form of Lastvea filix mas, every frond true to character. 

 My friend took the trouble to pot it on the spot in its nati\ e 

 soil, but it is remarkable to state, all aftergrowth, with slight 

 exceptions, came quite normal. A change of conditions 

 and environment was quite sufficient to affect the plant to 

 such a degree as to force it back to the normal state. 



It seems to me that in Nature there are various stages 

 of development in variation. One is the primitive stage, 

 just a " sport." This will, after root disturbance and 

 change of environment, revert to the normal type. The 

 change of character has been too recent to be securely set. 

 There are other wild finds where the new character is 

 more firmly established. These plants may remain true, yet 

 the spores sown from these may yield anything up to 

 75 per cent, of seedlings, in varying degrees, true to the 

 parent, yet the remaining number of plants from the same 

 sori will show the still strong and latent original normal 

 blood. 



It has been quite a common experience of mine to find 

 depauperated specimens of ferns, especially the Lastreas. 

 Ferns will be found with half their fronds malformed, with 

 pinnae crested, cruciate, or parts missing. These fronds are 

 usually of the first growth in spring, yet on the same 

 plants will be found strong normal fronds of later growth. 

 I hare found scores of these depauperated specimens, but 

 always found them growing where the conditions were 

 poor. 



Some years ago I made a special journey to the Clifton 

 Zoological Gardens purposely to see the fine collection of 



B 



