The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-17
CURIOUS FACTS
 REGARDING FERNS
The Walking Fern" and the
 Climbing Fern''
AND RARE MooNWORT
"Curly Grass. Is a Small and Unassum- ing Species of Fern Devoid of the Usual Fern1ike Character.
 Hardly in Class

From the Century Magazine
 One must be indifferent indeed who does not admire the ferns Even the very name brings to mind vistas of graceful, waving fronds with delicate, lace-like foliage.
 But while most species may well claim our admiration, some are so unlike our usual conception of fern as seemingly to justify one in declaring that they must belong to some other race of plants. The walking-fern, as the name implies, pos sesses a characteristic individuality of its own. The fronds are usually not more than eight to twelve inches in length. They are severely plain, as if to show it's disapproval of the frills and fashions of it's more aristocratic relatives. Some of the fronds are short and blunt others are prolonged into a long, slender tip, which bends over to the ground. and at this point, if conditions are favorable, a tiny plant begins to form. After time, as the young plant grows larger, it be- comes detached from the parent, though sometimes the connections remain through two or three generations. It is in this sense that the walking-fern walks" though it's steps are short and not often taken. It grows in rocky woods, chiefly in limestone regions,' form ing dense mats.
 In the climbing fern we have another distinct phase of fern life. This fern has long, vine-like stems too weak to hold hoo 0- yeloped a twining habit, depending Jn neighboring objects for support. (fhe frondlets much resemble a small Land with chubby fingers. and are arranged in pairs The spore-bearing part is borne at the tip of the stem in a sort of branching cluster. This fern grows throughout the eastern part of the United States, chiefly near the coast. It is sometimes called the Hartford of Connecticut, and law was passed making it misdemeanor to pull or up- root a plant in that state.
 In the appellations walking fern and climbing fern" there is pleasing ap- propriateness, but to call harmless lit- tie plant an adder's-tongue hints of something odious, as if the plant were possessed of some poisonous property However, after seeing a specimen of the plant one must admit that, so far as appearance goes, the name is in some degree justified It has single stem, us- ually less than a foot in height, with the spore- bearing portion at the tip, and single, undivided, elliptical leaf about midway Beauty and grandeur it has not been endowed with, but for its charming simplicity of form it has few equals among the higher plants; in fact, when we examine it's outlines. we see that 1t may-sbe fairly represented by drawing two riparallel straight lines to represent the Stem and two curved lines to repre- sent the leaf It grows in the grass in wet, boggy places, compelling one to search to find it. and is, therefore con- sidered a particularly interesting find by fern collectors
 Closely related to the adder's-tongue are the grape-ferns and the rare moon wort Most of these plants are too small and inconspicuous. for the average per- son to deign to notice. but of unusual interest and a source of much perpexity to the botanist, owing to their tendency to produce many varying forms. They have the same general habit as the adder s-tongue but are more complex in outline The sterile leaf or frond is often deeply cut and divided and the spore-bearing portion is branching. The moonwort is more of a British subject than a Yankee, since it is found in but few places south of the Canadian prov inces Tn the days of superstition it was supposed by some to be possessed of miraculous powers, and an old-time bot anist wrote regarding it: "Moonwort Is an herb which they say will open locks and unshoe such horses as tread upon it. which shows how deeply those sim pie folk were impressed by the little mysteries of common things The ad- der's-tongue grape-ferns and moonwort are not true ferns, but are so closely allied as to be commonly regarded as such. They grow in pastures and wood- lands some species being quite common and widely distributed.
 Vying with the adder's-tongue in point of simple unaffectedness is the curly grass, another small and unassuming | the usual fern-like characters as to be hardly worthy of the name The botan- teal person would place 1t among the grasses The sterile fronds are grass like and are but one or two inches long. Above these rise several erect stalks, three to five inches In height, with the spore-bearing portion at the top. In this country the only stations known for this plant are in certain boggy lands of New Jersey
 If the various tongues" so-called. could speak, they would no doubt pro test against the titles conferred upon them by the botanists. The rarest of these unoffending tongues is the heart s-tongue. found in shaded ravines in the states of New York and Tennessee. The fronds are from six inches to two feet in length, somewhat heart-shaped at the base, and undivided. While there is litie in their general appearance to sug- gest fern, the spore-bearing organs on bhe backs of the fronds show at once their true relationship.
 In the Airship
 From Woman's Home Companion.
 "Conductor?
 Yes, madam
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