33 
Mira niea Vien Gain pbellen) chico lili Cliente eiceeas (eeresen 5 varieties 
Mrs. W. G. DuMont, Des Moines, la.................. 2 Y 
Polar Wenivkhns Ibemanels bp lnsagocnauaccns os hasugsdot I ay 
W. Atlee Burpee Co., Philadelphia, Pa................. 2 - 
Mrs. J. Branin, San Lorenzo, Calif., sent seven varieties, mostly 
of the Spurian type and of her own origination. Mrs. L. W. 
Hitchcock, New Rochelle, N. Y., sent four seedlings of /. versi- 
color and I. orientalis, 
Miss Maud H. Purdy painted a number of 1 
ferent varieties of Japanese and Siberian Irises. These illus- 
trations supplement those which were prepared during the pre- 
vious year. They are of the same high order of excellence and 
ve range of illustration of color and form 
lustrations of dttf- 
— 
— 
serve to greatly extend t 
in the varieties of these groups. 
Studies of the variation of the Boston Fern (Nephrolepis) 
By Rateu C. BENEDICT 
Experimental work on Nephrolepis forms has been continued 
along the lines of previous years; namely, the maintenance oi 
the numerous bud variations for further observation, and the 
experimental culture and study of various forms derived froni 
the spore-fertile strain. In both these groups are many forms 
of special interest, either because they are new, or undescribed, 
or insufficiently studied. The whole collection of the Nephrolepis 
variations is urgently in need of more extensive and intensive 
study. I want here to offer some observations on the present 
status of the work, and on certain potentialities of further study 
hea 
of this group. 
It is just about thirteen years since I first became interested in 
these ferns in connection with the preparation of a description of 
the cultivated ferns for the Cyclopaedia of Horticulture. It 1s 
just over twelve years that the hospitality of the Brooklyn Botanic 
Garden and the facilities of greenhouse space were first made 
available. During the succeeding years my study of these ferns 
has involved the assembling of hundreds of different types for 
experimental culture and study at the Garden. In this work I 
have visited practically all the commercial florists who have in- 
