THE FERX BULLETIN 



13 



height and generally rather oblong ovate in outline ; 

 twice pinnate with lobcd and toothed pinnules, but they 

 vary exceedingly in cutting and many forms more or 

 less distinct have been described. The pinnae are set 

 farther apart than in some other ferns and the species 

 is noted for having pinnules missing here and there, 

 as if in the hurry and rush of spring work Xature had 

 occasionally skipped a stitch. 



The lady fern will grow in almost any soil and is 

 sufficiently attractive to be worthy a place in the fern 

 garden though from its habit of early shabbiness it is 

 well to place it somewhat in the background. It is 

 found in the Old World as well as the Xew but there 

 is some question as to whether their species and ours 

 are identical. 



New Hartford, X. Y. 



PTERIDOGRAPHIA. 



Gametophytes of Botrychium. — The average 

 fern collector is not particularly interested in the game- 

 tophytes or sexual generation of his specimens. It is 

 likely that many an admirer of our ferns is quite ig- 

 norant of the fact that there is such a stage as that rep- 

 resented by the gametophyte. and many others will not 

 recognize the word, until told that the prothallium and 

 the gametophyte are one and the same thing. Most 

 advanced students understand that the gametophyte is 

 a small, green heart-shaped structure but have little 

 idea how much this structure may vary from the con- 

 ventional shape on occasion. The gametophyte, though 

 not uncommon, is rarely seen because the fern-lover is 

 not looking for it. This statement, however, cannot 

 be made regarding the gametophyte of the Botrych- 

 iums. These are really rare because they are subter- 



