THE FERN BULLETIN 



93 



had been taken up, they remained unknown, confused 

 in the collectors mind with mosses and other low 

 forms. But even these have at last become familiar 

 and if books on the subject have not multiplied with 

 the rapidity of books devoted to ferns, still, largely 

 through the efforts of this magazine, the fern allies 

 are now easily named and their characteristics dis- 

 covered. The need for a magazine especially devotea 

 to ferns has passed. The few new facts that develop 

 from time to time can as well be published in journals 

 devoted to general botany. 



The reduction of fern study to a science has not 

 been accomplished without much hard and critical 

 work by numerous investigators among which 

 may be named Eaton, Gilbert, Graves, Dodge, Maxon, 

 Parsons, Waters, Parish, Jones, Slosson, Hill, and 

 Ferriss, but we feel warranted in saying that none 

 have done more for the advancement of the study than 

 this magazine and it is a source of pleasure to reflect 

 that when the history of the last quarter of a century 

 is written the magazine's achievement must hold a 

 prominent place. With the aid of many contributors 

 we have made the obscure clear, the unknown known, 

 the rough places smooth, the acquiring of knowledge 

 easy, but it can never happen again. The work of The 

 Fern Bulletin is done. 



As the facts about ferns became established and 

 were preserved in books the supply of useful articles 

 on ferns began to diminish. The end was easily per- 

 ceived by one of any penetration and several years ago 

 we announced the beginning of the end. We could 

 not refrain, however, from carrying on the work to 

 the end of the twentieth year. There is some satisfac- 



