FERN CONFERENCE. 



511 



again transplanted, and have gradually returned to their varietal 

 form, some of them being exhibited here. 



In 1870 an attempt was made to cross two species ; and as 

 there were no known cruciate forms of Aspidium aculeatum, it 

 was determined to try to produce one, for if successful this 

 would be a satisfactory proof. The varieties selected were Aspi- 

 dium annulare var. WaMeyanum and Aspidium aculeatum var. 

 densum, the former being cruciate. Out of a batch of several 

 thousand seedlings there were five plants unmistakably cruciate 

 aculeatums, and also a close copy of the cruciate angulare. 

 For six years these five plants were normal aculeatums, but on 

 the seventh they assumed the narrow cruciate form. In 1884 

 Mr. E. F. Fox and the late Colonel Jones repeated the experi- 

 ment successfully. At the same time they both endeavoured to 

 add the polydactylous character to different varieties of Aspi- 

 dium angulare, and succeeded, the most marked of Mr. Fox's 

 seedlings being polydactylous congesium forms, and those of 

 Colonel Jones being polydactylous varieties of divisolohum and 

 lineare ; and a variegated polydactylum of Padley's variegated 

 angulare. I had previously produced similar polydactylous forms 

 in the Lady Fern. The endeavour to produce various golden 

 Hart's-tongues, from using spores of different varieties mixed 

 with those of a golden form, resulted in seedlings some of which 

 have been brought to speak for themselves. 



One of my more recent experiments was the endeavour to 

 ascertain whether more than one plant could be produced from 

 a single prothallus. It had been noticed over and over again 

 that in trying to separate seedlings into single plants it often 

 occurred that some were so closely connected that it required 

 great skill in separating them. When these grew to maturity 

 most of them were seen to resemble each other, and probably 

 had sprung from one prothallus, and this was well seen, more 

 especially in three plants of a very distinct variety being a copy 

 of each other. 



Four years ago I sowed spores very thinly, so as to allow 

 them room to expand. When these prothalli were fully grown 

 a number were cut with a sharp knife into two, three, and four 

 pieces and replanted, and those simply cut into two produced 

 two plants, but when divided into four they have not produced 

 fronds ; they have increased in size, and though it is more than 



