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tips were still green and formed little knots of living tissue 

 each about the size of a pin's head. It occurred to me t bat 

 if these could be kept alive until the spring they might 

 develop into bulbils, and so form independent plants. 

 Under the influence of this idea, on November 5th, 1890, I 

 laid down in a pot a portion of a decaying frond with the 

 green bud-like bodies attached, the latter being brought into 

 contact with the soil, and the whole covered closely with a 

 bell-glass. 



I quote now from my journal the notes made at various 

 stages of the culture : — 



Dec. 1, 1896. — The bud-like bodies are evidently the un- 

 developed parts of the frond to which they belonged. They 

 are beginning to unroll, and look green and healthy. 



Feb. 5, 1897. — Development has been going on slowly all 

 through the winter. The growths are branching and con- 

 tinuing to unroll. They look like bits of frond still only 

 partially developed. 



June 6, 1897. — The pieces are now luxuriant and healthy- 

 looking masses of branches, each about \ to f of an inch in 

 diameter ; they are still growing, but there are no roots nor 

 root-hairs visible, nor any bulbils or new axes of growth. 

 It has been, so far, a process of continued unrolling. 



Nov. 5, 1897. — The basal parts of the pieces of frond are 

 beginning to decay. The tips are still alive and green, and 

 continue to expand, but this process has apparently nearly 

 reached its limit. The tips are thin and pellucid, and have 

 a semi-prothalloid appearance. There are no buds nor 

 root-hairs to be seen. 



March 1, 1898. — The cultures have been almost at a stand- 

 still during the winter. Only the extreme tips of the 

 growths are now alive, though the bunches of frond are still 

 discernible in a half-decayed condition. 



