NOTES. 



A specimen of Botrychium Virginianum with two 

 panicles of fruit and two additional fertile pinnules on 

 the sterile part of the frond is illustrated in Torreya for 

 September, 1905. 



Recent affairs in the Far East have turned the atten- 

 tion of other parts of the world to many things Japanese, 

 among them the use of bracken crosiers as food. Their 

 preparation is thus described in Indian Gardening: The 

 voting stems are cut off before the leaf has developed, 

 and are laid to soak in water and wood ashes for two 

 days in order to get rid of the bitter taste. They are 

 then boiled like asparagus. 



With a printing-frame, such as photographers use. and 

 some velox or solio paper. Dr. R. J. Smith. Milpitas, 

 Calif., has produced some very excellent prints of fern 

 fronds. In practice the fern to be printed is laid next 

 to the glass of the printing-frame, the solio or other 

 paper put next to it and then exposed to strong sunlight 

 for a considerable time. By dissolving one grain of 

 aniline in a pint of water and placing the stipes of the 

 fronds in this for a few hours before printing the veins 

 will take up the color and show distinctly in the print. 



In a letter dated September 20th, recently received by 

 the treasurer of the Fern Society from a member, George 

 E. Smith. Esq., of Aratapu. Northern YYairoa, Xew 

 Zealand, the writer says : " I am looking forward to a 

 favorable season for my ferns, of which I have a con- 

 siderable number and which are just now beginning to 

 unfold their new fronds. One of them is your lady fern 

 (Athyrinm fflix-fcemina) . I think it is such a pretty 

 fern, so beautiful and green. Our ferns are mostly all 

 evergreen and so the " bush " never has that withered 

 and desolate appearance that we see at winter time the 

 other side of the world. ( )ne can hunt ferns here all 

 winter with nothing else to incommode him but wet feet, 

 which is in striking contrast to frost and snow." 



