Eight years ago last August, while hiking on Staten Island near Tottenville, along the Arthur Kill Road, which was an ordinary dirt road and very much neglected, I came to a piece of oak woods, and a place where a wood or log-road turned off through the woods: this I followed for some distance, when to my surprise and delight right near this wood-trail I saw a stand of several hundred plants of Woodwardia areolata growing in a wet sandy piece of ground. I took up several roots, packed them in damp moss, and a few days later brought them to our garden in Pittsford, about four miles from Rochester, N. Y., where they were planted in the fern beds along with many other species of ferns and shadeloving native plants. We were told that the Woodwardia areolata would not live in our part of the country, nevertheless I decided to give them a try-out. Knowing that the soil in the Staten Island wood must be strongly acid, due to the great quantities of oak leaves decaying, our plants have therefore been given a tannic acid solution about once every four weeks during the summer months. With this treatment they have thrived beautifully. Two years ago last August, while in Perth Amboy, N. J., I decided to visit my fern bed on Staten Island, so took the ferry to Tottenville. What was my surprise on reaching the Arthur Kill Road at the outer edge of Tottenville to find that a wonderful change had been wrought: here, instead of a neglected dirt road, was a concrete highway, with subdivisions, and building going on. I hurried along, wondering if someone had built a house on my fern bed. On reaching the entrance to the wood trail there was a big sign reading Lots For 88