56 AMERICAN FERN JOURNAL 
before the third season after having been transplanted. 
This is probably due largely to injuries sustained in the 
transplanting rather than to the change in conditions. 
Spores may be sown and the development and growth 
of the plant observed from the prothallium up, afield if 
practicable, otherwise under as natural conditions as 
possible elsewhere. In a small city lot the supply of 
plant food is rather small in proportion to the demand, 
and so it is ecaait to raise young plants and preserve 
them from h 
This field work, ith: fc transplanting and raising of 
_ plants, is important in all lines of fern study, to the mor- 
pie physiologist, pathologist, and perhaps more 
y to the horticulturist, ecologist, and systematic 
: pleridalogiet It is especially helpful in solving prob- — 
lems in connection with the range of variation and be- — 
havior of plants under various conditions, and problems _ 
. of; eae and relationship involving the determination — 
Whether a ‘particular: plant is a form, mutant, variety, © 
ae species, ora hybrid. Whena plant is found that cannot 
gt onee be definitely assigned to some known species, its 
a place of growth should be carefully noted, so that the 
eo plant may be visited and its characters noted from time 
coe to time while it is still growing afield if that be practic- : 
able, otherwise the plant. should be moved to a more 
easily accessible — After having noted the char 
ae acters of . fferent times through a s€390) 
bMS 
