— 8o— 



in company with its northern relative, Phegopteris polypodioides, 

 so common in Maine woods. Long, earnestly but unavailingly 

 did I search for this broad-leaved Beech fern. In this part of 

 Ohio it is the prevailing species, and so far as I have been able 

 to ascertain, the only one. Growing in this shady spot are beau- 

 tiful specimens of the Lady fern {Asple7iium fihx-fcvmina), the 

 graceful fronds of the smaller Bladder fern (Cystopteris fragilis), 

 and Maiden -hair, in the greatest abundance. It is at this par- 

 ticular place I fill a big tin box with ferns for decorative house- 

 hold purposes. One can take away whole armfuls and not feel 

 she is robbing the hillside. We are now near the brook and 

 find in the lower ground clumps of Osmunda Claytoniana. 

 This brook is a delight to my eyes and a joy to my heart from 

 early spring until cold weather and Ohio mud combine to 

 shorten my daily ride. On the steep hillside above, there is 

 always a tangle of beautiful woody things. I feel tempted to 

 mention some of these floral treasures but fear, if I once begin, 

 I shall forget I am writing for The Fern Bulletin, so I will only 

 say that to our fern list we add the silvery Spleen wort (Asplenium 

 Thelypteroides) — beautiful ferns they are — the narrow-leaved 

 Spleenwort (Asplenium angustifolium), and Dryopteris mar- 

 ginal is. 



There is no law, written or unwritten, decreeing that this 

 beautiful spot shall be the limit of my daily ride, but by the time 

 I have reached and explored this ever-changing " wild garden," 

 botany boxes and all available carriage space are usually filled 

 to overflowing. One day, upon extending my ride a little. I 

 came to a hill where great gray rocks could be seen in the edge 

 of the woods. Large rocks are by no means common in this 

 part of the country and like evergreens (perhaps from early 

 association), are to me particularly inviting. Closer investiga- 

 tion showed some of these rocks to be covered with Walking 

 fern (Camptosorus rhizophyllus), the beautiful Maiden-hair 

 Spleenwort (Asplejiium trichomanes), and the Rock fern (Poly- 

 podium vulgar e), while very near grew Dry op t er is spinulosum, 

 probably variety intermedium, although I confess that varieties 

 of spinulosum are often marked by the interrogation point pre- 

 viously mentioned. 



The twenty species which I have mentioned do not include 

 possible findings, but ferns actually gathered at or very near the 

 roadside within a distance of two or three miles. I do not think 



