bining together of two or three characters in one frond, such us the narrow-crisped, the multifid-crisped, or the narrow-multifid as examples. In a wild state abnormal forms are found most commonly where, from various causes, ferns do not grow luxuriantly, i.e., grow under difficulties. When ferns flourish in a high degree, it is almost useless to hunt for abnormal forms.
It seems that spores gathered from one portion of an abnormal frond will produces different varieties from the of spores gathered from another portion of the same frond; so that if an accidental abnormal portion of a frond be fertile it is not impossible to reproduce from its spores plants having fronds in imitation of the accidental abnormal form.
The method adopted by the author of this paper in raising plants from spores is one that can he recommended. Having carefully prepared the soil, and then roasted or boiled it, in order to destroy all animal and vegetable life, it is placed in a Wardian case or pan, having a glass cover. The soil if roasted will require to be wetted with boiled or distilled water in order to be of a proper moistness. It is then pressed until there is a smooth surface, and after this sown with spores, which should not be covered with soil. All watering must be done from below, i.e., the pan placed in a saucer full of water, immersed about one-third of its depth, and this wet either be oiled or distilled water, to prevent a confervoid growth on the surface, which would kill the young fern germs, On the surface becoming green with growing ferns, transplant with the point of a knife into much larger pans; and this can be best done by making small indents in the surface, and placing in them small patches of the spores, and lightly pressing each with a finger, taking care to wipe the finger dry after every pressure, or the young plants will cling to it. To procure new varieties, spares are scraped off portions of a number of curious fronds or parts of fronds of the same species, and sewn thickly together; and the reason for sowing thickly is that the germinal fronds by being pressed closely together by each other become more or less vertical, a position thought to be more easily fertilised by the male organs falling more readily into the female cells than when in a more or less horizontal position, as they would be if sown very thinly. Nature does, to same extent, provide for this by curling the thickened edges; yet under those circumstances, with thin sowing, the male spiral is move likely to be one from the same individual, and would therefore more probably produce a form identical with the parent germ frond; whereas, if the spores of many forms he sown together the chances seem to he much more in favour of the fertilization by another variety being accomplished. After gathering the fronds for spores, it is better to place them in drying papers for a day or two, and then scrape off the spores and sow immediately. Freshly gathered spores germinate much more quickly than those that have been kept for a time.
It has been said, sow together only varieties of the same species, though occasionally, but very rarely, two species may be crossed and hybrid spores produced. Still, it is so difficult to cross species that we have at the most only a few examples to quote. These instances are probably,—first, Lastrea remota, a cross between Lastrea dilatata, and Lastrea filix-mas; second, Asplenium microdon, a cross between Asplenirum mavinum and Asplenium lanceolatum; and third, Asplenium Germanican a possible cross between Asplenium ruta-muraria and Asplenium septentrionale. The author has failed to raise spores from any of these, and is not aware of any one else succeeding, whilst in a wild state the two so-called parents appear always to be growing together where the third form is found.
