32 HOW TO KNOW THE FERNS 



useless as fodder on account of their bitter 

 taste, and no animal except, perhaps, the 

 goat would think of eating Ferns. In many 

 cases, however, Bracken is used regularly as a 

 bedding-down material for cattle. 



Coming to the Club Mosses, it is even more 

 difficult to find that they are of any direct 

 benefit. Some kinds in South America are said 

 to yield a blue dye. Our Common Club Moss 

 is in its huge quantity of spores responsible for 

 the " Lycopodium Powder " which at one 

 time was employed in the making of fireworks. 

 The powder is said to be highly inflammable, 

 but when shaken straight out of the cones it 

 does not always ignite very readily. One of 

 the Horsetails, the Dutch Rush (Equisetvm 

 hyemale), was and perhaps is still used in 

 polishing, owing to the large amount of silica 

 which is present in its stems. In addition, 

 those who are interested in coast erosion say 

 that the stronger-growing species of Equisetum 

 should be planted to keep clay cliffs from 

 falling. From an ornamental point of view the 

 Ferns and some of the Club Mosses are, of course, 

 of great value. They are widely cultivated in 

 garden and greenhouse, and we may say that 

 these plants make up in aesthetic value what 

 they lack from an economic point of view. 



