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PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE. 



Dr. M. T. Masters in the Chair, and nine members present. 



Hybrid Ferns.— Mr. Morris exhibited three sets of seedling 

 varieties of Scolopendrium vulgare, presented to Kew by Mr. 

 E. J. Lowe, F.R.S., of Shirenewton Hall, Chepstow. Mr. Lowe 

 has been investigating the effect of cross-fertilisation of different 

 varieties of British ferns in the prothallium stage. The results 

 have been most interesting and suggestive. If spores from 

 different varieties are sown together the archegonia on the same 

 prothallium are often fertilised by antherozoids derived from 

 other sources, and thus are produced numerous hybrid forms. 

 For instance, the prothallium with the archegonia may be 

 derived from a spore of the rugose variety, while the antherozoids 

 may be obtained from a prothallium of the digitate variety, or 

 from one derived from a marginate variety. In the former case 

 there would be produced a rugose-digitate variety, and in the 

 other a rugose-marginate variety. If after fertilisation the pro- 

 thallium is divided — as was done in nearly 500 instances by Mr. 

 Lowe — the plants derived from it and carefully cultivated have 

 been found to vary considerably, and to partake more or less of 

 the various characteristics of the spore-bearing plants. In the 

 specimens placed before the Committee the conclusions sought to 

 be attained by Mr. Lowe's experiments were apparently fully 

 borne out. 



Mr. Dyer alluded to Mr. Lowe's specimens exhibited before 

 the British Association as being very extraordinary in character. 

 He observed that the prothallia of ferns usually bear antheridia 

 first and then archegonia, being thus analogous to protandrous 

 flowers. If left to itself it rarely produces more than one seed- 

 ling, the whole of the energy at the disposal of the prothallium 

 being concentrated in one individual ; but by cutting a prothallium 

 in two, as Mr. Lowe has done, at least one, if not more, arche- 

 gonia could be borne by each half, which then retained its own 

 individuality, each having possibly been crossed, and thus pro- 

 ducing a different form from the other. He also referred to the 

 fact that it was only during the lifetime of Sir Joseph Banks that 

 the existence of the prothallium of ferns was made known. 



Oxalis sp. — Mr. Morris also exhibited some bulbs covered 



