SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 371 



be beiielltcd by the change. Siicii treutnient renews the strength of tlic plants, 

 milking them better for house culture the following winter. The ivv is so 

 hardy that it uill bear being put out of doors very early in the spring, i find 

 it better not to take the plants out of tlie pots, but to '^plunge'' them. A 

 little common lime put under tiie pots serves to keep earth worms out. Wiien 

 ready to remove ivy plants to the house in autumn, replant if necessary, but in 

 pots only a size larger than those they arc taken from. The scale insect that 

 sometimes infests these and other liard-wooded plants can be destroyed by 

 washing in soap-suds, but they must be rinsed immediately after in clear, soft 

 ■water. Tlie ivy must be kept free from dust to ])reserve the rich gloss of its 

 leaves. Ivy plants should liave the support of trellises, to which they can 

 easily be trained in any form to suit the taste. 



PLANTING A FERN CASE. 



In planting fern shades made wholly of glass, it is a good plan to lie down a 

 good depth of broken flower-pots, or clean cinders of the size of walnuts, and 

 to supply at first enough water to fill up as high as these, so that wdien filled 

 the water may be heard to rattle among the crocks if the pan is tilted on one 

 side. By lifting off the glass every day for an hour, the exhalations are got 

 rid of speedily, and the ferns are constantly supplied with what rises through 

 the soil by capillary attraction. Success in these matters often turns on points 

 of management that appear trifling, therefore it is well to set forth the mode 

 of planting a fern case. 



If the case be intended for a winter ornament, it should be planted in July 

 or August, that the ferns may be established before the decline of the season; 

 and if they are evergreen kinds, they will have plenty of time to throw up 

 plenty of fine fronds, which the liberal supply of water from below, with 

 regular ventilations, will render luxurious and beautiful ; and before winter 

 comes, the excess of moisture will be gone, but the soil will hold enough to 

 render watering quite unnecessary until spring. In the case of a large pan, say 

 six inches in depth, the planter should lay down two and a half inches of 

 drainage, and the top stratum should consist of very small stuff, not larger 

 than hazel nuts. On this should be laid a thin coating of half-decayed moss 

 or sphagnum. Fresh green moss is apt to go sour or breed fungi, and there- 

 fore it is preferable if it has been for some time exposed to the action of mois- 

 ture. The next step is to fill up to the level of the rim with a mixture of 

 turfy peat, leaf mould, small broken charcoal, and the sif tings with plenty of 

 silver sand. As it is well in the case of young beginners to be as exact as 

 possible, the compost in which the ferns are to be planted should be pretty 

 nearly as follows : Peat three parts, leaf mould one part, silver sand one 

 part, broken charcoal and crock siftings one part. The compost should be 

 broken up and mixed with the hand, and should be in a free lumpy state. 

 Ferns rarely prosper when the compost is sifted, as it becomes too closely set, 

 and stiff ; but a little of the finest of it should be put aside to dress the surface 

 with, when the planting is completed. The new process is one strongly 

 recommended, namely this : Take a can of boiling water, and water the soil 

 till enough is supplied to rise to the top of the drainage. The water should be 

 poured into the center first to warm the soil gradually; if poured against the 

 glass suddenly it may shatter it. This should be done carefully, and with a 



