62 



THE FERN BULLETIN 



members of the Society receive 1:28 pages of text and 

 many illustrations at a total cost of about $100. Does 

 anybody suppose that the magazine can be produced 

 for that price? If so, a little conversation with the 

 printer will change his opinion. But there are also 

 many other expenses to be met, such as cuts, postage, 

 hauling, stationery and the like and the total will run 

 up to more than the entire revenues of the Society. 

 Under the present arrangement the Society, after pay- 

 ing for Fern Bulletin has nearly $75 left for other 

 uses. What advantages can the advocates of a new 

 publication offer to offset the loss of that sum of 

 money? And where do they purpose getting the ad- 

 ditional cash needed for publishing the Annual Report 

 and the necessary expenses of the Society?' Many of 

 those who voted in favor of a change did so without a 

 clear understanding of what was proposed, and even 

 at that we have the information from the Secretary 

 that the figures given in the Annual Report in favor 

 of the change were exaggerated. Less than half the 

 membership voted at all. It is very clear, then, that 

 tins proposed change is not desired by the members at 

 large. Those who are actively interested in a change 

 have their reasons, but they hesitate to place them in 

 cold type. 



The statement in the Annual Report that the pub- 

 lisher of Fern Bulletin contemplates combining the 

 magazine with The American Botanist at the end of 

 the 20th volume is only half the truth. In communi- 

 cating this idea to the Executive Council it was dis- 

 tinctly stated that should the combination be made, 

 tlie much larger magazine, though selling for more 

 than the present price of Fern Bulletin, and contain- 

 ing as much fern matter, would be sent to members. 



