EDITORIAL, 



It is with great pleasure that we present in this 

 PROFESSOR issue the latest portrait of Dr. L. M. Underwood, 

 UNDERWOOD whose activity in the study of ferns for more than 



twenty years has made him famous throughout 

 the world and placed him at the head of American fern students. 

 In this connection a word of biography will be of interest. Dr. 

 Underwood was born at New Woodstock N. Y, Oct. 26, 1853, and 

 began life on a farm. In 1877 he was graduated from Syracuse 

 University, and from 18 ;g to 1883 taught in various western col- 

 leges. In 1883 he returned to Syracuse University, where he 

 taught for nearly ten years. From 1 891 to 1895 he was at DePauw 

 University, and in 1895-6 in the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. 

 In 1896 he became Professor of Botany in Columbia University, 

 which post he now holds. He is also editor of the Bulletin of 

 the Torrey Botanical Club. His chief work is the well-known 

 "Our Native Ferns and Their Allies," which for two decades has 

 been without a rival in its particular field, and is now in its sixth 

 edition. Among his other works may be mentioned "Moulds, 

 Mildews and Mushrooms," "North American Hepatic;e," "Re- 

 view of the Genera of Ferns " and a host of papers on a variety 

 of botanical subjects, although ferns and fungi have received the 

 most of his attention. 



NOTES. 



— Popular Science for October contains an article by Willard 

 N. Clute on the fern's struggle for existence in the Tropics. 



— Die Gartenvelt, of Berlin, contains two articles on the genus 

 Nephrolepis by Bernh. Othmer in the issues for October 20th and 

 27th. 



— Two new candidates for honors in the botanical world are the 

 Gamophy litis of Plainrield, N. J., and the O. S. U. Naturalist of 

 Columbus, Ohio. 



— One of the best little journals on out- door subjects for the 

 general reader that we have seen is the new Nature Study of 

 Manchester, N. H. Recent numbers contain three articles on the 

 ferns and fern allies. 



