- t ^ ^ ^"^ 



107 



the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences loses another of the 

 pioneers who made possible the development of the Institute, the 

 Brooklyn Botanic Garden loses one of its most generous sup- 

 porters, and the Borough of Brooklyn loses one of its most valued 



■citizens. 



C. Stuart Gager 



THE GARDEN^S FERN EXHIBIT IN BOSTON 



From September 22-25, 192 1, the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society held a '* Grand Exhibition of Tropical Ferns " and 

 Orchids '' in Horticultural Hall, the home building of the so- 

 ciety in Boston. This was probably the first fern exhibition ever 

 held in this country. In July the Botanic Garden accepted an 

 invitation to make an educational exhibit, not in competition for 



any of the prizes. 



The ferns sent were selected mainly with two aims in view. 

 First, it w^as desired to present as extensive a collection as pos- 

 sible of the named varieties of the Boston fern {Nephrolepis 

 exaltata). Of these the Garden has what is probably the most 

 nearly complete collection in existence gathered together in con- 

 nection with the investigations of variation and heredity in this 

 group by Dr. R. C. Benedict, resident investigator at the Garden. 

 Since the Boston fern and its varieties constitute one of the most 

 important house plants today, it was felt that an extensive col- 

 lection of present known forms would be of special interest to 

 the general public, and even more so to the many florists and 

 growers who would attend the show. Sixty-six different vari- 

 eties of Boston fern and other forms of Nephrolepis were sent, 

 including several new forms which have originated at the Brook- 

 lyn Botanic Garden. 



Secondly, there was sent a collection of forty-two different 

 kinds O'f ferns not in Nephrolepis. These were selected to repre- 

 sent as many different and distinct types as possible, to give an 

 idea of the diversity of the fern famiUes. Twenty-five genera, 

 comprising nine families, were included, from the tiny floating 

 mosquito fern, Azolla, to a large Polypodium aiireum, with a 





