28 Lowe and J ones.— On Abnormal Ferns , 
in 1879 series of examples Mr. Lowe was taking to the 
British Association at Sheffield, — crosses of varieties of Athy- 
rium> in which were spores of Victoriae and Proteoides. 
Afterwards, about fifteen years ago, endeavours were made 
by one of us (Mr. Lowe) to cross Polystichum acideatum with 
Polystichum angular e , and when the seedlings had become 
mature (seven years afterwards), it was apparent, at all events 
to the experimenter, that this cross had been accomplished, 
but in only five examples out of 1000 seedlings. The object 
was to obtain a narrow cruciate variety of Polystichum aculea- 
turn, a copy in Polystichum acideatum of the narrow cruciate 
variety Wakeleyanum of Polystichum angular e , for as yet this 
was a desideratum. Polystichum angular e ,vd,x\Pty Wakeleya- 
num (Fig. 1), was sown together with a dense-fronded variety of 
Polystichum acideatum , known as densum (Figs. 2). In 1884 a 
specimen of this hybrid and a short paper were sent to the Lin- 
nean Society, but this was not sufficient to remove the doubts of 
botanists; a year later, however, a letter from Sir Joseph 
Hooker stated that the crossing of ferns was then an acknow- 
ledged fact. This hybrid (Fig. 3), and its parents, together with 
some of the offspring of the hybrid, were last year exhibited at 
the Bath Floral Fete, amongst the specimens of botanical 
interest, and it was awarded a first-class certificate. 
Both of us have had great experience in the crossing of ferns, 
one of us (Colonel Jones) starting a little later than the other, 
and our results coincide. Instances of crossing have now ac- 
cumulated to such an extent as to preclude the possibility of 
any further doubt on the subject. To produce the results, 
however, great care is necessary that the germinations of the 
spores are very general and also simultaneous. The clear proof 
of the reality of the crossing of varieties lies in the fact of the 
production of plants, either bearing a character intermediate 
between those of the plants sown, or combining their characters. 
A remarkable fact in connection with the crosses is the 
frequent transference of the character of one variety to 
another, this even applies to variegation. It will be seen in 
the example of the cruciate hybrid of Polystichum acideatum , 
