FERN GROWING 29 



experiments with the latter species strong roots were formed, 

 and on examination three separate plants were seen. Major 

 Cowburn and myself both saw excrescences on different plants 

 of a branching Scolopendrium, and afterwards roots on the 

 upper surface of the fronds near the base of the stripes, and 

 both of these examples threw out frondlets before being 

 pegged down ; eventually they were made to touch the soil, 

 and soon produced independent plants ; but if there had been 

 prothalli, it had become obliterated before we had noticed 

 the excrescences. The seedlings from these convinced me 

 that a cross had been obtained between the two varieties. 



" The next experiment was with spores from the varieties 

 of the Lady Fern known as Victorice and proteoides. These 

 seedlings showed a series of variations, having Victoria at 

 the one extreme and proteoides at the other. 



" A further experiment was the mixing together the spores 

 of half-a-dozen varieties of the Lady Fern, and, as another 

 trial, half- a - dozen varieties of the Hart's - tongue. This 

 brought out a new fact — there were seedlings that showed 

 the characters of three and even four varieties on a single 

 frond, so that male organs from several varieties had assisted 

 in this impregnation. The microscopic character of these 

 organs was a difficulty to be overcome in crossing Ferns, 

 and the only way to overcome this seemed to be sowing 

 the Fern spores thickly together, trusting to their close 

 proximity to enable two or more varieties to be self-crossed. 

 The antheridia (or male organs) having been noticed to move 

 about with activity in the moisture on the surface of the 

 prothallus, it was thought possible for them to come in contact 

 with the archegonia on another prothallus, and thus fertilisation 

 would take place on a different plant ; and this has been 

 accomplished. 



" The above idea was more recently considerably strength- 

 ened from the remarks of my friend Dr. Hudson, F.R.S., 



