THE PERN PAFvADISE. 



other plants ? The general answer to this ques- 

 tion is that a Fern is a flowerless plant. Although 

 flowerless, it is not seedless ; but its peculiarity is 

 that it acquires its seeds without the intervention 

 of flowers. Let us borrow just one hard word 

 from botany and we only do so because in one 

 word it explains the most exact distinction between 

 Ferns and other seed-bearing plants. Ferns, then, 

 belong among plants to the class Cryptogamia, 

 which literally means fi concealed fructification.' 

 They are therefore, although flowerless, seed- 

 bearing plants, and when they bear seed it is 

 hidden away. Those who have never seen a Fern 

 would naturally, at first, experience some little 

 difficulty in knowing although bearing in mind 

 the general definition which we have given how 

 to distinguish it from another plant when both 

 are the one without seeds, and the other without 

 flowers or seeds. No definition which would be 

 sufficiently popular for our purpose can be offered 

 to remove this difficulty. Certain peculiarities of 

 Ferns can be mentioned, and when these are re- 

 membered, one or two visits to a country lane 

 where Ferns abound will be quite sufficient to 



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