FERNS 



says that these leaflets with their edges turned over 

 are thought to look very much like tiny, half-open 

 snuff-boxes. For this reason the plant has been 

 called the snuff-box fern. The fruited fronds are 

 heavier than the early sterile ones. The spores ripen 

 in September. 



In deep woods the marsh fern grows tall and slen- 

 der, but has little fruit. In the sun it has much fruit, 

 but the fronds become thick and yellowish and are 

 often twisted. Sometimes the ends of the fronds turn 

 half-way around, while the tips of the leaflets bend 

 toward each other. 



After the first sharp frost the fronds that are in 

 exposed places generally wither. In sheltered situ- 

 ations they may keep green for a month or more longer. 

 Never shall we find them defying frost and showing 

 their green plumes amid the ice and snow of winter. 



THE BRACKEN 



ONE of the commonest of American ferns is the 

 bracken. It often grows to be several feet in height. 

 Its smooth, black rootstock is deep in the earth and 

 has many branches. The crosiers are covered with 

 silvery-gray down. They come up singly at intervals 

 of from six inches to six feet. The three divisions, 

 unrolling separately, look somewhat like the claws 

 of a large bird. 



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