-6 7 - 



a book on cheese-making, issued by the National govern- 

 ment. 



Mr. Gilbert's interest in ferns began shortly after leav- 

 ing college. His herbarium, begun then, is one of the 

 largest of private fern herbariums, and includes more 

 than a quarter of all the known species. In the interests 

 of this herbarium he twice visited the West Indies, and 

 also collected in Bermuda, Florida, California, and in 

 the Old World. He was a frequent contributor to the 

 scientific press, most of his work on ferns appearing in 

 the Torrey Bulletin and Fern Bulletin. Among his more 

 important papers are "A Revision of the Bermuda 

 Ferns." " Polypodium Yulgare in America," " Asplenium 

 filix-foemina and its Varieties," and " A Study of the 

 Tribe Aspidie." He also issued " North American Pteri- 

 dophytes." a list of the fernworts. 



Mr. Gilbert was a member of the Torrey Botanical 

 Club and of the American Fern Society, and served one 

 •term as president of the latter society. 



Lucien Marcus Underwood was born at New Wood- 

 stock. N. Y., Oct. 26. 1853. He began life on a farm. 

 Entering Syracuse University, he was graduated in 1877. 

 The next four years were spent in teaching in small col- 

 leges in the middle west. In 1883 he returned to Syra- 

 cuse University, where he taught for nearly ten years. 

 From 1 891 to 1895 ne taught in De Pauw University, 

 and the next year went to the Alabama Polytechnic In- 

 stitute, which he left after a stay of a year, to accept the 

 position of professor of botany in Columbia University. 

 This position he held until his death. 



Dr. Underwood's fame as a fern student began with 

 the publication in 1881 of " Our Native Ferns." This 

 was the first American attempt at a manual for naming 

 the ferns, and met with such success that a second edi- 

 tion was required within a year. This has since been 

 followed by four other editions and remains to-day our 

 only manual of the North American fernworts. Another 

 book. " Moulds. Mildews and Mushrooms," has been 



