94 AMERICAN FERN JOURNAL 
pect, and that more money is needed if we are to con- 
tinue as in the past. The necessary increase in funds 
might be had from an increased membership, and act- 
tive new steps are, in fact, being taken just now toward 
bringing in new members; but income from this source 
will not be sufficiently large in amount or be available 
promptly enough to lessen the obligation of adopting 
some other plan. For the present, therefore, the only 
equitable way of maintaining the JouRNAL as it is ap- 
pears to be a fifty per cent increase in the individual 
membership dues of our organization. We have the 
distinction of having held out against this solution long- 
er than most organizations, under similar circumstances; 
and that this action has not been urgently required earl- 
ier is due chiefly to the efficient and disinterested ser- 
vices of our Treasurer and Editors and to the fact that 
our printers, to their distinct disadvantage, until late in 
1919 held to the schedule of prices adopted in 1911. 
The increase in total revenues now suggested means only 
4 small sum to the individual member, and it is hoped 
that the associations which the members have formed 
by correspondence and acquaintanceship within the So- 
ciety, their deep interest in fern study itself, and their 
pride in helping maintain at its present level an extreme- 
ly well edited JourNAL, will be sufficient to win support 
for the suggested change. 
Under the revised constitution of 1914 the amount of 
dues is fixed at $1.00, and the method of bringing about 
amendments to the constitution is definitely provided. 
Ballots covering the proposed amendments to Sections 
2, 3, and 4 of Article 3 will therefore be submitted to the 
members by the Secretary, for vote, with the notice of 
the next annual election. A further amendment (Sec- 
tion 5 of the same Article) relates to the increase of life 
membership payment from $15 to $25. This change is 
quite as necessary as that in the annual dues, since the 
