65 



There is no well-defined line of demarcation between the 

 Pine Barrens and the arable land, for peninsulas of pines jut 

 into surrounding territor\' and there are also islands of pine 

 barren formation found here and there. We natives of New 

 Jerse>' whose grandfathers and, \es, grandmothers, did not feel 

 equipped for life unless they owned some woodlots in the pines 

 or a cranberry bog do not bother to say "Pine Barrens." They 

 are "The Pines" and we mean that area intersected by streams 

 and lakes. To us the barren land is "The Plains," a fine view of 

 which can be had from the hre tower at Oswego Lake. 



Lygodiiim palmatum although found deep in the Pines is 

 more often seen on the so-called peninsulas. Near New Lisbon 

 is a lane leading to the pineland. By a stream are drainage 

 ditches three or four feet deep on either side, on the banks of 

 which are climbing ferns {Lygodinm palmatum) , quantities of 

 them forming lacy mats so dense that other plants were smoth- 

 ered and onh' a few stalks of aster and goldenrod had pushed 

 through to otYer stems for the ferns to climb. Lacking support 

 for the most part, the ferns were prostrate and tangled and 

 twisted around each other. The \ery prolific fertile ends fell 

 over and added themselves to the fern cushions on the banks 

 of the ditches. The cord-like root stalks were matted and creep- 

 ing up the sides and near the surfaces of the ditches. On the 1st 

 day of October, in deference to the season, the fertile fronds 

 were slightly yellow and reminded one of dodder as they twisted 

 their threads around the stalks. The sporangia were immature. 

 The sterile fronds are evergreen. The stalk is light brown or 

 yellowish, two forked, each fork bearing roundish palmately 

 lobed pinnae. The fronds do not climb until they are a foot 

 long, the shorter ones spreading over the ground. Sometimes 

 the fertile pinnae are in the middle of the stalk with sterile 

 above and below. Those above are much smaller. Sometimes a 

 sterile pinnule has one or more lobes changed to fertile and vice 

 versa. 



It is a pleasant surprise to find a great quantity of a fern 

 heretofore seen growing scantily. The first locality I knew for 

 Lygodinm was Medford where each fern grew in solitary state 

 climbing neatly and tidily its own sweet gum sapling. I thought 

 they grew that way. One finds no more ferns at that place. 

 The marsh was filled and drained as so many other such places 

 have been to the destruction of the vegetation. 



