The Germination of Fern Spores. 37 



" which are clearly to a demonstration nothing but roots and 

 stomata in all stages of development ; * * * but that they " 

 {i.e. the antherozoids)" have tails and whiskers is pure imagina- 

 tion.'" If Mr. Dawson, nevertheless, or any other gentleman 

 will spend an hour or two with the author of this article, next 

 spring (if spared to see the " green leaves come again"), he 

 will go away without any shadow of doubt about the stirring 

 fact of those masculine appendages to the antherozoidal bodies ! 



But one word more, as a critic, and that with respect to the 

 doubt expressed by Mr. Dawson, as to whether it be true, as 

 stated by Balfour, Moore, Carpenter, Lindley, and Hofmeister, 

 that germination takes place indifferently from any point of 

 the surface of the spore, and not from fixed points. The writer 

 must confess, and that with great diffidence, in the face (if it be 

 really so) of such high names, that he does somewhat participate 

 in Mr. Dawson's doubts ; though he may, very possibly, soon 

 have to retract even this modicum of dissentient opinion. And 

 now his attention is called to the point, he will find, probably, but 

 little difficulty (owing to the abundant means for investigation 

 at his command) in satisfying both himself and friends on this 

 question ; his only reason for at all demurring to the opinion of 

 the eminent writers above mentioned, arising from the peculiar 

 forms and ornamentation of certain fern spores, which would 

 seem to bespeak a special relationship and subservancy of 

 parts one to the other, and not an indefinite one as regards 

 germination. 



It may be observed, lastly, that whatever ferns may do 

 when left to natural circumstances in their native haunts, they 

 only attain their growth very slowly when propagated on sand- 

 stone under bell-glasses. At least, spores of Filix mas and 

 Pteris tremula, for instance, which were sown in the early 

 spring of 1859, and potted in 1862, only began to exhibit 

 fructification on their fronds in July 1864. On the other hand, 

 whilst probably not one fern- spore in a million (if that propor- 

 tion, even) germinates when left to nature, nearly every one of 

 them will grow when under the artificial treatment described 

 in the preceding pages. It is, not, however, to be concluded 

 that the countless millions of spores which fail to germinate 

 do not fulfil some more or less important part in the hidden 

 economy of Nature. 



