EDITORIAL 



Ten years ago, the late Benjamin D. Gilbert, wish- 

 ing to have a more extended list of references to the 

 fern literature of the preceding decade, than is given 

 in our table of contents, made a very comprehensive in- 

 dex to the first ten volumes of this magazine which 

 was subsequently published by the Linnaean Fern 

 Chapter and is known as "the ten-year Index." Now 

 that the close of another ten year period is fast ap- 

 proaching, some of our readers have suggested that 

 another index of the kind would be desirable. With 

 this opinion we are inclined to agree, but the editorial 

 time is so heavily mortgaged to other things for some 

 time to come that we can scarcely promise it. If any- 

 one among our readers cares to undertake the task we 

 will be glad to render every assistance in our power, 

 supplying extra copies of the magazine and the for- 

 mer index, and when completed publishing the index 

 as the work of the compiler and supplying him extra 

 copies for his own use. There are two ways in which 

 this index may be offered to readers : It may, like the 

 previous index, be offered for sale at 25 cents a copy, 

 or it might be printed as the last number of the 20th 

 volume and sent to members without extra charge. 

 We would be glad of an expression. of opinion from 



our readers on this subject. 



* * * 



In the recent Annual Report of the American Fern 

 Society, the statement is made that ninety cents out of 

 each dollar paid in by members, is set aside for run- 

 ning the Society's "official organ." Since this par- 

 ticular publication is exactly the same size as The Fern 

 Bulletin and is issued the same number of times a year, 

 the extra cost of running it compared with what was 

 formerly paid would seem to be due to inefficiency 



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