Ferns : Habitats, Life-Story, Morphology 



back or edges of the frond may be safely taken as proof 

 that the plant under examination is a fern. 



Many of the plants of the Coal Age referred to in 

 Chapter I., though possessing fernlike leaves, bore 

 seeds and not spores, and for that reason are no longer 

 regarded as having been true ferns. 



If we wish, however, to know the life-story of ferns, 

 as well as their names, we must try the experiment of 

 raising new fern-plants from spores. The process is a 

 very simple and inexpensive one. Procure a packet of 

 fern-spores from the florist, in the first instance, as the 

 beginner is often disappointed, because the spores 

 which he has collected himself fail to germinate. The 

 reason for the failure is that either the spores were not 

 ripe, when gathered, or, as frequently happens, spore 

 cases only from which the spores have altogether dis- 

 appeared have been sown in error. Next prepare a 

 mixture of sand, leafmould, peat, and finely powdered 

 soil for top dressing. Fill a pot with the mixture, pay- 

 ing particular attention to the drainage, and pour over 

 the potted soil a plentiful supply of boiling water. 

 This has the effect of killing any forms of life in the 

 soil which might prove harmful to the germinating 

 spores. When the soil has cooled, scatter the spores 

 lightly over the surface, cover the top of the pot with 

 a sheet of glass, and finally place it in a saucer of 

 water. Keep the saucer plentifully supplied with water 

 and do not disturb the spores by watering from above. 



In a few months, in some cases weeks, a green 

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