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Basal Buds. 



This faculty of producing basal buds on the stalks is 

 nearly always a varietal, and not a normal one, and is 

 often accompanied by a reduction in size or abortion of 

 the lowest pinnae with which they are closely associated. 

 Latent buds dependent upon their development for some 

 serious damage to the growing centre constitute a peculiar 

 provision of Nature against destructive influences. Nor- 

 mally, there is no sign of them at all, and even dissection 

 of the fern tissues will reveal no rudiments of their 

 presence ; they appear to be engendered entirely by aggre- 

 gation of cell power, subsequent to destruction of the 

 normal outlet for energy at the growing point of the caudex. 



Thus we may take the caudices of the Hartstongue, Poly- 

 stichumy or some of the Lastreas, when they have apparently 

 died, and if any part be found alive, these parts, carefully 

 cleansed, and all dead matter removed, are almost sure to 

 produce buds on the exposed surfaces if kept close and 

 damp, and exposed to the light. It is highly probable that 

 many species possess this faculty, but so far, we believe, 

 it has only been tested in connection with a few of our 

 native British species. This is the more to be regretted 

 as we are confident that many rare species, which other- 

 wise are difficult of propagation, could be multiplied in 

 this way far more quickly than from spores, and with 

 : greater certainty of obtaining true progeny. 



Propagation from Buds. 



The process is very simple as adopted by us. Taking a 

 spare specimen, we cut away the fronds about half-an-inch 

 above the caudex, remove all the roots, and thoroughly 

 wash the residue ; we then, with a sharp knife, cut the 

 caudex through perpendicularly into several pieces, accord- 

 ing to its size, dropping them loosely into a tumbler or 

 similar glass receptacle, into which one or two inches of 



