FERNS AS A HOBBY 



of ferns, has received but little attention in this 

 country. Within the last few years we have been 

 supplied with excellent and inexpensive hand-books 

 to our birds, butterflies, trees, and flowers. But so 

 far as I know, with the exception of Mr. William- 

 son's little volume on the " Ferns of Kentucky," 

 we have no book with sufficient text and illustra- 

 tions within the reach of the brains and purse of the 

 average fern-lover. In England one finds books of 

 all sizes and prices on the English ferns, while our 

 beautiful American ferns are almost unknown, owing 

 probably to the lack of attractive and inexpensive 

 fern literature. Eaton's finely illustrated work on 

 the " Ferns of North America" is entirely out of the 

 question on account of its expense ; and the " Illus- 

 trated Flora " of Britton & Brown is also beyond the 

 reach of the ordinary plant-lover. Miss Price's 

 "Fern Collectors' Hand-book" is helpful, but it is 

 without descriptive text. " Our Native Ferns and 

 their Allies," by Mr. Underwood, is exhaustive and 

 authoritative, but it is extremely technical and the 

 different species are not illustrated. Mr. Dodge's 

 pamphlet on the " Ferns and Fern Allies of New 

 England " is excellent so far as it goes, the descrip- 

 tions not being so technical as to confuse the be- 

 ginner. But this also is not illustrated, while Mr. 

 Knobel's pamphlet, " The Ferns and Evergreens of 

 New England," has clear black-and-white illustra- 

 tions of many species, but it has no text of impor- 

 tance. 



In view of the singular grace and charm of the fern 



8 



