68 AMERICAN FERN JOURNAL 
Occasionally, during drought, it becomes necessary t0 
supply some species with water at intervals of a few 
days to keep them in healthy growth. While all species 
appreciate this treatment, it may become specially 
necessary for the cinnamon fern, walking leaf, marsh 
fern, and perhaps a few others. 
Since it takes two or three years for ferns to become 
fully established and to attain their natural thrifty 
appearance, no record of growth was kept in 1912. The 
date when they began growing in spring was recorded 
when the crosiers had appeared above ground suf- 
ficiently to expose the entire coiled portion. 
The shield ferns, in general, are easy of cultivation. 
In July, 1911, I planted three marginal shield ferns 00 
the fern bed and in September of the same year I set 
ten of these common ferns in a row along a side porch. 
All of them grew well. In the spring of 1913, individuals 
started growing from April 23 to April 30. The spring 
of 1913 was perhaps slightly earlier than usual, but 
1914 spring came tardily and the marginals began groW- 
ing from May 4 to May 12. The row along the poreh 
starts close against the wall of a cellar containing the 
heating furnace and extends outward seven feet. In 
1915, an average spring, the ferns of this row bega? 
growing in order of their distance from the warm cellar 
wall, from April 23 to May 9. By June 21, some of the 
spores were ripe. Practically all of them were ripe 
the first fertile fronds by the end of June. While the 
fruit dots, or sori, of the marginals seem purple and 
give a beautiful appearance to the under side of the 
frond, the indusium is really light violet and the chat 
acteristic color is imparted by the rich purple or brow? 
purple spore cases, or sporangia, underneath. After 
the spores are scattered, the indusia turn light brow? 
On the later fertile fronds developing in August and 
September, the fruit dots are frequently not so richly 
