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Home Nature-Study Course. 



ofifer here and there a green footstool for some great tree ; and what- 

 ever the locaUty we may surely discover at least two species of ferns, 

 their beautiful green fronds pressed flat beneath the snow-blanket. One 

 of these is called the Christmas fern, and is first cousin to the Christmas 

 fern which is reared in pots as a house plant ; it has one row of finely 

 notched leaflets along each side of the stalk. Three leaves or fronds 

 of this fern are shown in the lower part of the picture on the first page. 

 The other species is far more graceful and beautiful as its leaves are 

 divided into smaller leaflets, each leaflet being sharply notched so that 

 as one passes the hand over them, he feels the many little spiny points ; 

 so this fern is called Spinulose fern. It is especially with these two 

 species that we shall begin our study of ferns. That the pupils of the 

 Home Nature-Study Course may understand something of the wonderful 

 life of a fern, I will tell the story of the life of one species. 



THE STORY OF A CHRISTMAS FERN 



In the winter this fern consists of several long, thick, green leaves 

 or fronds each of which grows from a rootstock. There is something 

 very peculiar about the creeping rootstock of ferns ; new leaves are pro- 

 duced at the growing end of it each year, while the other end after 

 having borne its leaves dies away. Thus when we find a large and 

 vigorous clump of these ferns, we may know that this plant began its life 



perhaps several feet 

 from the place where 

 we find it ; each year 

 it pushes on farther 

 and develops more 

 leaves. The tree 

 ferns which we see 

 pictured in tropical 

 scenes are not so 

 different from our 

 own ferns, except in 

 two particulars ; one 

 their size, and the 

 other the fact that 

 the rootstock instead 

 of creeping along year after year underground lifts itself in the air. As 



Fig. I. — I. Fertile leaflet oj Christmas fern showing 

 indusia and spore cases. 2. An indusium and spore 

 cases enlarged. 3. A spore case enlarged. 4. A 

 spore case discharging spores enlarged. 



