26 THE OSMUNDAS. 



areas to itself, stretching away for long distances in 

 level reaches of green. 



The young crosiers or " fiddleheads " begin to peep up 

 in plashy pastures before the grass has turned green and 

 may be distinguished from all others by the dense coat 

 of silvery white wool in which they are clad. As the 

 weather warms and they expand into fronds, the woolly 

 covering turns to a tawny hue and gradually falls away, 

 although vestiges of it remain throughout the summer, 

 scattered along the stipe and in little bunches at the 

 base of each pinna. 



The fertile fronds are first to appear, but long before 

 they have reached maturity the sterile have sprung up and 

 overtopped them. It is rare for any fern to produce its 

 fertile fronds first, and in the rapid development of the 

 sterile fronds this species seems striving to be like the 

 rest. An examination of the crown when the fronds are 

 uncoiling shows that the fertile and sterile fronds are 

 borne in separate circles and that the fertile belong to 

 the outer circle although at maturity they are invariably 

 surrounded by the sterile ones. The exchange is effected 

 by a sharp bend outward at the base of the sterile frond's 

 stipe but is so little known that nearly every one believes 

 the fertile fronds to belong to the inner circle. . 



Only one crop of fronds is produced each year, un- 

 less the first is injured or destroyed. The plant is not 

 to be caught unprepared, however, for nestling at the 

 crown of the rootstock are the buds for several years to 

 come. This central portion in all the Osmundas is known 

 as the " heart of Osmond." It is tender, crisp and edible, 

 tasting somewhat like raw cabbage, and is easily obtained 

 by pulling up the clump of half-developed fronds. The 

 operation, of course, destroys the plant. 



