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fouree ee botanists do not speak of these spore cases nor 
ontain, by the term seed; but that is an arbitrary 
pore and we may be sure Gerard would have called them seed 
if he had known that they were the means by which new plants 
were produced. Though he did not know their economy, see 
w minutely 
hes spots of the anal Fer re which are double upon cee leafe, 
[b 1 t ddl sinew.’ i. ain he shows a sense 
of the poi oy value of the arrangement of the spore-cases 
so pas 
underneath, set with met fine spots, which evidently rer 
it to be a kinde of Fer 
It was not till the ne development of plant science that the 
real function of these spots and marks became clear. The visible 
portion is ordinarily merely a covering for, or a aan of, numer- 
ous spore-bearing cases which in turn contain 
Falling upon suitable soil under moist oe pers spor 
may form a tiny green eae upon which the essential 
processes take place, and from which the roots descend and 
the leaves arise of the fern sat that we know. Many species 
of ferns uae themselves — also, By nunnets, are: 
omes, or by rooting from leaf-ti fi 
a fern garden ae conditions as nearly as possible meres 
ee in ney the ferns grow in nature may confidently expect 
rom all of these methods of reproduct- 
n. 
Ferns are pure ornaments. None of them have any economic 
s der 
alludes to this use. Medicinally also they are of Hee merit. 
Even the herbalist, who considered every plant upon the assum 
tion that it musi have some virtue if only it a be tie 
