244 



On December 29, 1898, I went round my garden and 

 snipped off portions of fronds from some eight different 

 ferns, the only principle of selection being to take fronds 

 which were devoid of any trace of sori, and were not too 

 mature to allow any hope of further growth . They were well 

 washed by a stream of water to remove any adherent spores 

 of other ferns, and were then pinned down in a pot and 

 covered with a bell-glass. 



Examining these on January 12, 1899, I found that in the 

 case of one fern, Poly podium vulgar e var. grandiceps, Parker, 

 two translucent (presumably prothallic) growths were 

 already proceeding from the termination of a veinlet near 

 the edge on the upper surface of the frond. These growths, 

 as well as the piece of frond from which they grew, I regret 

 to say have been since destroyed by fungoid growth. I 

 hope, however, to repeat the experiment. 



WINTER GROWTH. 



A point which is not always appreciated by the amateur 

 flower and fern lover is the fact that, despite the apparently 

 entire dormancy of many plants in the winter months, they 

 are not absolutely at a standstill, and consequently still 

 require some little attention in the way of watering and 

 looking after generally. There is, indeed, much root acti- 

 vity going on beneath the soil long before any obvious 

 evidence is given above it by actual leaf development, and 

 Nature herself teaches us by the example of every field, 

 wood, and other plant habitat that it is precisely during the 

 winter that the soil is at its moistest, and thus best adapted 

 to aid this root action. As a proof not only of the activity 

 of the roots, but also of the foliar tissues to fulfil their func- 

 tions, we may cite the fact that during periods of continued 



