FLOWERLESS PLANTS 



389 



"fiddleheads" of the young fronds are interesting. On 

 rocky ledges and cliffs are found various spleenworts and 

 cliff brakes, and in the marshy lowlands are shield ferns and 

 others. 



Ferns make fine herbarium mounts. As far as possible 

 get the children interested in col- 

 lecting, pressing, and naming the 

 ferns of their locality. Have 

 them notice weU the habitat of 

 each. Let them dig up fern root- 

 stalks and plant them in a shady 

 comer by the school-house or at 

 home. The north side of build- 

 ings is a good place. The ground 

 should be rich, containing much 

 decayed wood. Chips, sawdust, 

 leaves, or rotten logs and stumps 

 should be buried in the soil where the ferns are to grow. 

 Maidenhair, and other wood ferns, and the cliff brake do 

 well in window-boxes. 



Examine the rootstalk and note the young shoots. Observe 

 the way the frond is lobed and dissected. Examine the 

 under side of a ripe frond, and note the little spots on the 

 lobes. These are spore (not seed) cases. Shake out some 

 of these spores on a sheet of white paper and note their 

 minuteness and great number. Try to raise some fern from 

 the spores. Sow the spores on some earth in a flower pot, 

 and wash them in by sprinkling with water. Cover with a 

 piece of glass and keep moist and warm. 



A curious plant often found on sandy, or gravelly, wet banks 

 along rivers and railroads is the Horsetail or Scouring Rush 



Fig. 165. Spore Dots on the Under 

 Side of a Fern Leaflet. 



( Photomicrograph.) 



