NATURE STUDY MADE EASY 



101 



SPORES ON FRONDS 



for on the back of each fern frond is a number of tiny dots, brown 

 in color. These are the fruit, or spores, of the 

 fern. The spore is a hard brown case con- 

 taining a tiny bit of fern sub- 

 stance. When these spores 

 are ripe, they fall on a damp 

 place near the parent fern. 

 The tiny bit of fern substance 

 begins to grow, and splits 

 the spore case and pushes through. In a few weeks it grows 

 into a little heart-shaped scale. Soon fine rootlets appear, and 



the green scale grows into a fern plant. It 



takes a long time to do this. Sometimes a 



year or two is required to bring it to perfection. 

 Much of the early 



growth of a fern takes 



place underground. The 



fronds are snugly packed 



in a little roll, which you 

 can see on any fern plant. The frond 

 slowly unrolls, beginning at the base of the 

 fern, and by and by the full leaf appears, 

 tall and graceful,' like a long feather. 



Watch one some day. Notice the soft 

 meshes of woolly substance that protect it. 



ROOT OF FERN. FRONDS 

 It IS niOSt interesting. UNROLLING 



A FRUIT-DOT OF A 



FERN 

 (Much enlarged.) 



OF " Hf - 



E 



of 



