8 



FERNS IN THEIR HOMES AND OURS. 



leaves of Begonia and BryopJiyllinn, as alluded to 

 hereafter. This discovery was described to the 

 Linnasan Society of London, in 1874, in a paper 

 there read by Professor Farlow. In " Ferns, Brit- 

 ish and Foreign," by John Smith, London, 1866, 

 is the following interesting paragraph: ''Another 

 point of some practical importance is, that, in 

 general, only a single plant-bud is formed on each 

 prothallium. This may be supposed to be owing 

 to the vital function of the prothallium not being 

 able to support more, — in that respect analogous 

 to only one ovulum being fertilized in the ovaries 

 of many flowering plants. Admitting that, then 

 how are we to explain, that, in removing the plant- 

 bud, a new bud is formed, and that even as many 

 as eight or ten have been obtained from prothallia 

 of HymenophylliLm crinitiim, each of which by 

 proper care becomes a plant ? Then, again, experi 

 ments have shown that by dividing the prothallium 

 from the base upwards, with a sharp instrument, 

 into two or even four parts, each produces a plant- 

 bud. Seeing this, it is reasonable to infer that 

 prothallia have the power of producing plant-buds 

 analogous to the leaves of Begonias and othei 

 plants ; but whether such is the case, or each bud 

 is the result of the action of spermatozoids upon 

 latent archegonia, is not known." 



To those who are in haste to cultivate ferns, 

 either in the greenhouse, fernery, or out of doors, 



