ve 
~ 
A: 
ft 
SOME DESCENDANTS OF THE ORIGINAL BOSTON 
These leaves of modern commercial varieties show how widely some of the sports differ from 
their parent. 
c, N. muscosa; d, N. verona, e, N. magnifica; f, N. superbissima. 
Their trade names are as follows: a, Nephrolepts viridissima; b, N. Millsu; 
While these forms are 
relatively stable, they are all likely in turn to give rise to valuable new sports, from time 
to time. (Fig. 23.) 
respectively aboutthirty and fifteen years 
ago, by virtue of their rapid propagat- 
ing habit are still favorites. They are 
leading commercial varieties in spite of 
the presence of numerous competing 
sorts of recent introduction. 
UNIFORMITY IS NECESSARY 
Not less important is the uniformity 
of the size and shape of the smaller 
leaves known as pinnae. The plant 
should not show a tendency to “revert”’ 
or show any variation in any part of the 
leaves. Such a plant should not be 
allowed to appear on the market, for 
besides being a failure, it may some- 
times affect the reputation of the firm 
which introduces it. In most cases it 
is possible to produce a pure-breeding 
strain by subsequent propagations by 
divisions. Some ten years ago, when 
few varieties existed, a number of them, 
such as Piersoni and Fosteri, in spite 
232 
of their constant reverting habit were 
able to remain on the market for a 
number of years. But now that we 
have so many varieties, competition is 
very keen, and unless the plant proves 
to be a uniform breeder its introduction 
should not be allowed. From what has 
been said above, one should not be led 
to conclude that all commercial varie- 
ties will breed absolutely true. All of 
the sports of bostoniensis occasionally 
revert back to the original type in 
different degrees, and so far as I know 
this cannot be avoided entirely. For 
this reason the trade makes allowances 
for rare reversions. But plants which 
revert frequently find no place on the 
market. 
Symmetry of the plant is another 
desirable character. Lack of symmetry 
is to some extent due to defective 
methods of potting, exposure to light, 
and careless overhead watering, yet in 
