EDITORIAL. 



In this issue the first of the proposed series of Fern Floras 

 of the States appears. A significant fact brought out by the pres- 

 ent flora is the remarkable paucity of fern species in the State of 

 Louisiana. There is a much larger number in the single county 

 in which the Fern Bulletin is published, notwithstanding trm 

 Louisiana is a thousand miles nearer the tropics where fern 

 species abound. It is expected that the other floras will develop 

 many more important facts. It is yet too early to indicate the 

 order in which the floras will be published, but an effort will 

 be made to publish first those of special interest, such as that of 

 Florida, Texas, California, Washington and New York, though 

 it will depend somewhat upon the order in which they are com- 

 pleted. In order to secure uniformity, each flora will conform to 

 the nomenclature of the present one and the best known common 

 name will be given when the plant has any. When a species 

 reaches its limit within a State this limit will be given, if possible, 

 and the localities for rare species will be noted. There will also 

 be observations on the abundance, distribution and habitats of the 

 other species, references to. the literature of the subject and a 

 short account of the topography of the State. Each flora will 

 be written by the student most familiar with the subject. In the 

 April issue we shall be able to give a more extended list of 

 the floras with their authors. 



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We have just received from Mr. B. D. Gilbert the manuscript 

 index to the first ten volumes of the Fern Bulletin, which he 

 has been preparing for the Fern Chapter and which we will 

 shortly publish. The index is in reality five separate indexes, 

 namely, a general index of titles, an index of species, an index 

 of authors, an index of publications noticed, and an index of 

 illustrations, and represents a vast amount of labor. In the 

 general index there are nearly five hundred titles. Although 

 Mr. Gilbert has refrained from listing any species unless some- 

 thing of importance is said concerning it, the index of species 

 shows that no less than four hundred and thirty-two species have 



