Part 3

B. ternatum silaifolium (_B. silaifolium_ Presl.). This is also mainly a western form. To it, however, I would refer the plant recently described by Mr. Gilbert as _B. obliquum Habereri_ from central New York. I have examined the type specimen and in my opinion it agrees perfectly with specimens of _silaifolium_ from California identified by Dr. Underwood. Even the striations produced in the pinnae by drying appear identical. I should call this a sub-species, as it does not approach the type as closely as the others.

So little is known about _B. biternatum_ Unde. and _B. tenuifolium_ Unde. that I shall not attempt to place them. Judging from what I have seen of the latter, and I have seen numerous plants in the field, I should consider it a form of _obliquum_ and I suspect that _biternatum_ will prove to be based upon aberrant plants of this which have fruited in spring instead of autumn. In regard to this, Mr. W. W. Ashe has recently informed me that many spring-flowering southern plants do not flower in the North until late summer. It is possible our ferns may have similar changes in their fruiting season.

NEW FORMS OF FERNS.

By Charles T. Druery, F.L.S.

The editorial note appended to my short article in the April issue of The Bulletin rather takes my breath away, as I never imagined that an answer to my query could "depend somewhat upon whether we admire ferns for pure leaves or whether we collect them for study." No true fern lover in either case would knowingly destroy one of Nature's own novelties in the way I described by denuding it repeatedly of its fronds for herbarium purposes in situ, when by removing and cultivating it he could also, in either case, not only gratify his own special taste more fully, but could afford much gratification to a host of other fern lovers of either class. That "students of ferns know that many fern forms are due to varying conditions of soil, light, moisture, etc., and are inclined to pay very little attention to them" I accept at once, ranking myself with them; but advanced students also know that many forms are not demonstrably due to such influences, and amongst these forms are all those which claim so much attention in this side of the ocean. The former are, as the editor puts it, "variants," the latter true varieties, and so far as they are of Nature's own shaping, i. e., wild finds, as distinct from improved selected types from the spores, they have at least as much right to recognition in fern literature as the normals. Hence it is to be regretted that a unique form of the Christmas fern (_Polystichum acrostichoides_) should exist in the possession of a member of the Fern Chapter for ten years, and, yet, never be described. What have the other members done that such interesting data to some of them should be withheld?

The reference to seven-toed kittens and two-headed rabbits, as fair parallels to the finest fern varieties in the mind of the average student, is a poor compliment to the student who would certainly benefit by a better acquaintance with the plumose section of varieties at any rate. With the many botanists stated to exist in the States who "prefer a wild rose to all the gardeners' many-petalled creations" I have more sympathy, but here comes in the old botanical mistake embodied in the term "garden forms" of ferns as applied to all varieties, with the wild finds of which the gardeners have had nothing whatever to do. What would such a botanist do if in his rambles among the wild roses he came across a Marechal Niel as a wild sport? That is a fair parallel to some of our best wild finds as compared with the normal types, and he would be a singular man, I opine, in more senses than one, if he turned up his nose at it as a mere variant and held his tongue for ten years without describing it. I am gratified to the editor for holding all his abnormal specimens at my disposal, but, reading between the lines, I fear they would embrace no acquisitions from my point of view, or he would not be so ready to part with them. I hope sooner or later he will come across a thoroughbred and become thereby a convert to my theory, that constant and symmetrical variations are fully as much, if not more, entitled to both lay and scientific attention than the normal specific forms from which, by some occult process, they arise under natural conditions.

[It is doubtless as difficult for Mr. Druery to understand our position in this matter as it is to understand his. How a _student_ of ferns can care for what might be termed abnormal variations is beyond our comprehension. The student is always interested in normal variations, if we may so describe the common, slight variations in form and texture due principally to ecological factors; in fact, it is necessary that we take all such into account in order to get a correct average of the species; but to give serious attention to forked, crested, plumed, tasselled and befrizzled specimens of ferns, which are manifestly due to the slipping of a cog somewhere in Nature's machinery, is quite out of the question. We grant that some of these attain forms that merit admiration for their beauty, or oddity, as showing what Nature can do in the way of leaves, but we maintain that were these forms animal, instead of vegetable, they would excite only feelings of repulsion. Now, the student of fern species is quite inclined to think of these "freaks," as he calls them, much as others would if they _were_ animal. The botanist may admire the form, hue and perfume of the gardener's rose, but this is not the rose he cares to study. In the early numbers of The Fern Bulletin, upward of sixty American ferns have been put on record as bearing forked or tasselled fronds, and so far as the editor is aware, not one of these has been taken into cultivation and only a very few have been given names. This fact will probably explain our position to some extent. When the editor has leisure, he is going to dig up every one of these variants in his own locality and send them to Mr. Druery, in anticipation of which it would be well for the latter to consult his gardener and glazier about an extension to his ferneries.--Ed.]

FERNS IN BOTTLES.

A correspondent sends us the following clipping from the _Westminster Gazette_. We are unable to vouch for its accuracy, but as it may give some cultivator a hint we reprint it in full.

In a beautiful garden at Crouch End, belonging to one of the few old world bowers which have withstood the tempting offers of the building speculator, may be seen one of the queerest freaks that Nature has ever played in park or garden. About three years ago a long row of glass ginger bottles were placed neck downward in the ground, with a few inches of the other end projecting to form a border for the kitchen garden paths. Each of these bottles now contains a fairy-like resident in the shape of a dainty little fern, perfect in form and color, and of many varieties, the ribbon fern and hart's-tongue predominating. As no ferns had at any time been planted in that part of the garden it is amazing how they got there. Perhaps Nature thought it foolish to waste so many little natural hothouses, and put in each a pinch of the stuff she makes ferns of. If so, she must view with much pride the result of her experiment.

Miss Angie M. Ryon, Niantic, Conn., reports finding fine plants of _Ophioglossum vulgatum_ upon a very rocky hillside, the roots crowding themselves between the bits of rock that had been broken up by loads of heavy timber passing over them the previous year. The plants were exposed to the full rays of the sun for most of the day.

WILLIAM RALPH MAXON.

William Ralph Maxon, whose portrait is presented this month, first saw the light at Oneida, N.Y., on Feb. 27, 1877, where his parents reside. He graduated at Oneida High School in the class of 1894. From there he went to Syracuse University, where he took the degree of Ph. B. in 1898. The bent of his mind was toward botany and almost immediately after graduating he went to New York and was employed for a few months in the herbarium of the Botanical Garden at Bronx Park. From there he went to Washington and took a temporary position in the U.S. National Museum. But in August, 1899, as the result of a Civil Service examination, he received the appointment of Aid in Cryptogamic Botany in that institution, and still retains that position.

Mr. Maxon joined the Fern Chapter in 1895, served as its secretary for the year 1899, and as president of the Chapter for the two years 1900 and 1901. He is a member of the Botanical Society of Washington, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of two other local societies in Washington. He has published several valuable papers on botanical subjects, among which are "A List of the Ferns and Fern Allies of North America north of Mexico;" "On the Occurrence of the Hart's-tongue in America," which formed his presidential address before the Fern Chapter at its meeting in New York in 1900; "A Study of Certain Mexican and Guatemalan Species of Polypodium"; besides several shorter papers containing descriptions of new species, including a continued series in the Fern Bulletin entitled "Notes on American Ferns." For a young man Mr. Maxon has done some notably good work, and his position in the National Museum is one which will give him exceptional opportunities for original work in the future.--_B. D. Gilbert._

ANOTHER STATION FOR ASPLENIUM EBENEUM HORTONAE.

It affords me much pleasure to report another station for the remarkable fern now known as _Asplenium ebeneum Hortonae_.

A single fine specimen some eight or ten inches high was discovered by Miss K. A. French at the base of a ledge in Pittsford, Vt. No sign of fertility is discernible in the old fronds decaying about the base, the season's growth or the newer fronds stretching up indoors. Whence came this beautiful variation in the midst of type specimens galore?--_G. A. Woolson, Pittsford Mills, Vt._

INDEX TO CURRENT LITERATURE RELATING TO FERNS.

Readers are requested to call our attention to any omissions from this list.

Clute, W. N. _Fernwort Notes--III._ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Christ, H. _Can Scolopendrium Lindeni be Separated From S. Vulgare?_ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Eaton, A. A. _The Genus Equisetum in North America._ Fourteenth Paper. Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Fitzpatrick, F. J. and M. F. L. _The Fern Flora of Iowa._ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Flett, J. B. _The Fern Flora of Washington._ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Gilbert, B. D. _Asplenium muticum._ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Gilbert, B. D. _Two New Varieties of the Ternate Botrychium._ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Haeselbarth, F. C. _The Walking Fern._ American Botanist, Jl. 1903.

Orcutt, C. R. _Ferns of Southern California._ West American Scientist, Ag. 1903.

Orcutt, C. R. _Isoetes of Southern California._ West American Scientist. S. 1903.

Shull, C. H. _Geographic Distribution of Isoetes Saccharata._ Botanical Gazette, S. 1903.

Stillman, B. W. _The Climbing Fern._ American Botanist, Je. 1903.

EDITORIAL.

The editor of this journal is again away from home, which will explain any delays in his correspondence. Letters intended for him and sent to the usual address will be forwarded at once.

**

Every time the Fern Bulletin is late, doubtless half the subscribers wonder what the editor can be doing to prevent the magazine from appearing on time. The editor, therefore, rises to explain that this publication would always be issued promptly if correspondents would send in copy in season. We endeavor to have each issue ready for the printer _a month before publication_, and yet there are many of our contributors, who, having arranged for space in a number, will wait until two or three days before the publication date to send in copy. There is too much matter in the Fern Bulletin for it to be printed, bound and mailed in one day--or in one week for that matter--and we simply cannot appear on time if we have to wait for copy. We trust that contributors will bear this in mind and co-operate with us in future in this matter of promptness.

**

In this number, all subscribers whose subscriptions are not paid in advance, will find a bill for the next volume, and the amount in arrears, if any. There are so few who stop their subscriptions after once becoming members of the Fern Bulletin circle of readers that to save all from the possible loss of a number between the expiration and renewal of subscription, we continue to send the magazine until ordered to stop. Those who do not wish to be considered subscribers for the new volume should notify us at once. In view of the liberal terms upon which the publication is sent, we trust that we may continue to count all our present subscribers among our readers for another year.

**

The new volume of this magazine will be along the lines of its predecessors. The Fern-floras of the States will be continued, those for California and Florida being expected to appear early in the year, followed by others now in preparation. The series of portraits of fern students will be discontinued for the present, to make room for a new series on exotic ferns in which will be illustrated the ferns of unusual appearance from other lands, together with descriptive notes upon their haunts and habits. In nearly every fern collector's herbarium are species of which little more than the name is known. It is expected that this series will add much to our knowledge of these. Mr. Eaton's _Equisetum_ articles will be finished during the year. Other features of the publication will be continued. A cordial invitation is extended to every reader to contribute notes and articles of interest.

**

When one's herbarium has grown so bulky that it cannot be looked through in an hour or so, and especially when it contains numerous sheets of the same species, it often becomes a puzzling question what to show the non-scientific visitor who wants to see the ferns, but who has no interest in the slight differences that separate closely related forms. To fit such cases we would suggest the formation of an "oh, my!" collection--a collection designed to provoke the visitor's interest and admiration and draw forth frequent ejaculations of surprise. Such a collection saves wear and tear on the general herbarium and often excites a real and lasting interest in the ferns. It should contain, of course, the walking and climbing ferns, the little _Schizaea_, the hartstongue, the maidenhair, the cinnamon and sensitive ferns, etc. Some of the gold and silver ferns might be included, the star fern is desirable and various species of grape fern will add to the interest. A few finely cut fronds like that of _Dicksonia_ may be added, with such other species as suggest themselves on account of oddity in fruiting. A few fern allies would make a complete and desirable show herbarium.

**

The recent likening, in this journal, of crested and tasseled fronds to two-headed rabbits has borne fruit in an unexpected quarter. Certain cultivators of ferns now speak of their stock as species, varieties and two-headed rabbit sorts!

**

In a recent article on the distribution of _Isoetes saccharata_, in the _Botanical Gazette_, the author notes that _I. saccharata_ is found only in Chesapeake Bay, while _I. riparia_, a form that closely resembles it, is found only in Delaware Bay, and that, notwithstanding the small differences between the two, there have been described two intermediate forms, _I. saccharata Palmeri_ and _I. s. reticulata_. From this and other facts, he inclines to the belief that _I. riparia_ is simply an extreme form of _saccharata_. A curious circumstance connected with the species and forms is that specimens collected in a certain locality appeared one season as the type and the next as the variety. This is not the only instance on record of _Isoetes_ species intergrading. Mr. A. A. Eaton has noted that the variety _Californica_ of _I. melanopoda_ intergrades on the one hand with _I. Howelli_ and on the other with the type, while specimens referred to _I. mexicana_ by Underwood have since been identified as _I. Orcuttii_ and _I. melanopoda_. All this seems to indicate that the systematists have not yet got hold of the proper characters upon which to found specific differences, and there is here a chance for a philosophical botanist to distinguish himself. It is not enough that the plants look different; the differences must be specific. All of the forms of _Equisetum arvense_ look different, but they are not species by any means.

**

Plans are being made for another meeting of fern students at St. Louis this winter, during the session of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. There is a prospect of some excellent papers to be presented, and a large and enthusiastic meeting is assured. Programs and other information may be obtained of Prof. N. L. T. Nelson, Central High School, St. Louis, Mo., or of the editor of The Fern Bulletin. The editor expects to be at the meeting and hopes to meet there the majority of his readers.

BOOK NEWS.

With two books like "Our Ferns in Their Haunts" and "How to Know the Ferns" in the field, some might think that the ground is too thoroughly covered to leave room for another, but Dr. Waters has proven otherwise in his new volume with the simple title of "Ferns."[1] If the older books are taken as books designed for beginners, the new one may be described as one step more technical--a connecting link between popular handbook and scientific manual. In the matter of information it contains practically nothing that has not been published before, being primarily a rearrangement of what is known of our ferns and bearing internal evidence that the pages of the popular works above mentioned have supplied much help in its making. This is especially noticeable in the appropriation of original stanzas from "Our Ferns in Their Haunts," without giving credit for them. Even when giving credit the author is not always fortunate, as when he ascribes to Miss Pratt certain lines that are Campbell's. The book is written from the standpoint of the author's experiences in the vicinity of Baltimore, and as such cannot always be taken as representative of ferns and fern habitats in other parts of our country. The book is also remarkable for the entire absence of author citations for the generic and specific names--in this being unique among American fern books. This will make it difficult for beginners who use this book to look up the species elsewhere. The entire subject of the authority for the names is left untouched in the part that explains why scientific names are used. There is also evident a disinclination to give credit for recent work, the usual statement being that such and such varieties "have been described," without noting where and by whom. Since these descriptions were heretofore to be found mostly in periodicals, the desirability of mentioning their place of description is apparent. This much being said in criticism of the book, there is yet much to praise. The illustrations are well executed and include a fair proportion of views in the habitats of the ferns, while the photographs of the sori enlarged are exceptionally valuable. Anything like them have never before been published. The analytical key based on the stipes has been well and carefully worked out. It forms a very instructive chapter, though such a key will rarely be consulted by the beginner, because the usual keys are easier. The book is also of interest for the number of varieties or forms included, many of which are not mentioned in the manuals, and for numerous photographs illustrating these forms. There is also a chapter on fern photography. The nomenclature is conservative; old and well known names having been retained in spite of recently proposed substitutes. For his stand in this matter the author is to be greatly commended. The book can in no sense be considered a rival of others in the field. It fills a place of its own and as such will be hailed by the fern loving public as another aid to the proper understanding of this most beautiful and attractive section of the vegetable kingdom. Type, paper and presswork all combine to make this a handsome as well as useful book.

In the making of his "Flora of the Southeastern United States"[2] Dr. Small has practically worked over anew all the species of that region and the results of this stupendous undertaking are now presented in a bulky octavo volume of nearly fourteen hundred pages. Dr. Chapman's flora of the same region is fairly conservative, while this one goes to the opposite extreme, being noticeable for the greatly increased number of species and an equal lack of what the older book is inclined to consider varieties or forms. This gives students a choice of books, but it is probable that a beginner will have much difficulty in identifying his plants by the aid of the new one, because of the many closely related forms described as separate species. The book will appeal more to advanced students specializing in a few orders or genera. The nomenclature is, of course, the most radical, even extending beyond the genera and species to the orders, so that new names are proposed for the Leguminosæ, Labiatæ, Scrophulariaceæ and many others. Along with the segregation of species there has been a similar splitting of genera. To the individual familiar with the usual manuals the book will appear almost like the flora of a foreign land. The author, however, has been painstaking and conscientious throughout the work, adhering closely to the ideals prevalent at New York and a few other centers of botanical activity, and if he has produced a volume that will become the object of much criticism he has also produced an excellent illustration of what the recently proposed rules of nomenclature, and new conceptions of species are capable of when allowed full swing. Although not agreeing with his conclusions, even conservative botanists will appreciate the author's consistency and he is to be congratulated upon the completion of his work. To those who prefer the less elaborate manual, Dr. Small's book will always be indispensable for reference.

Mr. Charles T. Druery, well known on this side of the Atlantic as an enthusiastic cultivator of ferns, has issued a book devoted principally to British fern varieties, which he has named "The Book of British Ferns."[3] In this work he has been assisted by various members of the British Pteridological Society, an association similar to our Fern Chapter, and of which Mr. Druery is president. As is well known the British fern hunter and fern cultivator is most interested in the abnormal forms of ferns, and as a result so many of these have been described that a complete list numbers more than a thousand, though there were less than seventy-five native species to begin with. Mr. Druery's task has been to select from this list the really meritorious varieties from the cultural standpoint. To this revised list he has added papers on the culture and propagation of ferns, fern hunting, fern crossing, apospory and kindred subjects, making a volume which should be of interest to American readers for the light thrown upon fern life. The book is well printed and well illustrated, the forms shown being mostly the more striking varieties.

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR