CHAPTER XIII 

 FERN COLLECTING AND PRESERVING 



PERHAPS none of our native plants have 

 suffered more from those vandals who root 

 up every pretty thing they see than the Ferns. 

 To the average tripper there seems to be some- 

 thing irresistible in the green fronds, and up 

 comes the root, or enough of it to destroy the 

 plant, and the prize is carried home. Even if 

 the fern is so fortunate as to be planted at all, 

 it is probably dealt with in such a way that its 

 chances of living are very remote. County 

 Councils may pass by-laws, but one is afraid 

 that these will have little effect until there is 

 amongst the people as a whole a more wide- 

 spread regard for natural beauty. It is to be 

 feared that one cannot entirely acquit the 

 scientific student of helping in the destruction 

 of Ferns. A rare find is a terrible temptation to 

 the enthusiast, but if the plant is a solitary 

 one it is a golden rule to leave it alone. Often 

 enough a single frond will give us any quantity 

 of ripe spores from which fresh plants may be 

 raised. In any case the gathering of the leaf 

 is a certain proof that one has found the par- 

 ticular species. If it is possible to re-visit the 

 spot at a later date it is not unlikely that the 

 specimen may have propagated itself in some 

 way. Of course, where there are a number of 



