American Fern Journal 
Vol. 5 JULY—SEPTEMBER, 1915 No. 3 
The Ferns of New Mexico 
By E. O. Wooron Anp Paut C. STANDLEY 
The popular conception of New Mexico in the eastern 
and northern United States, often even among well 
educated people, is that it is nearly all a desert, where 
for most of the year high temperatures prevail. Very 
little is generally known, outside the State, of the large 
areas of agricultural land rendered productive by irriga- 
tion or by recently developed methods of dry farming, 
and still less of the great mountain ranges, best developed 
in the northern part, but reaching, as isolated masses 
of peaks, to the southern boundary. These ranges are 
similar to those of the states to the north and are fully 
equal in scenic effects to those of Colorado, so familiar 
to tourists. Some of the mountains of southern New 
Mexico, by reason of their precipitous, naked slopes, 
exhibit beauties of coloration which are unknown farther 
north. In the more elevated ranges in midsummer the 
climate is nearly ideal, although at altitudes of only 
7500 to 8500 feet the temperature is often uncomfortably 
low. The highest peaks reach an elevation of slightly 
less than 14,000 feet, but scores of others, even near 
the Mexican and Texan border, are well above 10,000 
feet. 
While there is scarcely any part of the State where 
one is out of the sight of high mountains, the greater 
portion of its area of 122,000 square miles is composed 
[No. 2 of the Journat (5: 33-64) was issued May 27, 1915.] 
65 
