106 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



By planting- the material to be shipped in moist soil 

 (cocoanut fiber refuse is sometimes successfully used now- 

 adaysj in wooden boxes glazed with glass, well protected 

 against possible breakage — in effect a miniature green- 

 house — the hazards of shipping plants long distances were 

 to a large extent eliminated. Ward records the success- 

 ful transportation of a case of plants from Sydney, Aus- 

 tralia, to England, "and on their arrival at the docks they 

 were in the most healthy and vigorous condition." This, 

 in spite of the fact that the voyage lasted eight months 

 and that the temperatures experienced on the voyage 

 ranged from 20 degrees when rounding Cape 1 lorn to 120 

 degrees when crossing the equator. 



A modern instance of plants successfully enduring a 

 long voyage was experienced at the Brooklyn Botanic 

 Garden on the occasion of importing a shipment of rare 

 Cycads from Australia. These plants were shipped from 

 Australia July 29, 1914, and received at the Garden on 

 February 16. 1915 — a period of about six and a half 

 months. The delay in this case was not due to the causes 

 that operated in the old days but to the exigencies of war. 

 The ship on which they were loaded at Australia was 

 commandeered by the Federal government for the trans- 

 portation of troops and the Cycads had to wait. They 

 were reshipped and reached Port Said, when the ship was 

 taken over by the government and the poor Cycads again 

 dum];ed. They finallv reached London and after another 

 transhipment were forwarded to New York. These plants 

 were not packed in Wardian cases but in boxes covered 

 with stout burlap. The fact that they were in fair condi- 

 tion on arrival was due not so much to the method of 

 packing as to the tenacity of life possessed by Cycads in 

 general. 



The reason that plants in Wardian cases are enabled 

 to thrive for long jieriods without attention is due, of 

 course, to the fact that there is practically no loss of water 

 by evaporation. That which is transpired by the plants 

 condenses on the glass and returns again and again to 

 the soil. The great danger to guard against in Wardian 

 cases, whether used for transportation purposes or for 

 ornament in the home, is that of associating rampant 

 growers with slow growing subjects, when there is the 

 possibility of the less ag.gressive jilants being smothered. 



It seems that it was entirely by accident that IMr. W'ard 

 hit upon the principle of growing plants under close con- 

 ditions. It so happened tliat he had placed the chr>'salis 

 of a Sphinx in moist soil in a wide-mouthed glass liottle 

 which was covered with a tin lid. In course of time a 

 sporeling fern (Mr. Ward consistently speaks of scrclliiis; 

 ferns and fern seeds) and a plant of Poa annua developed 

 from the surface of the soil. These flourished in the 

 same bottle for nearlv four years without any additional 

 water. At the end of that time they died in consecjuence 

 of the lid rusting, admitting rain which presumably caused 

 them to rot. 



It was ai)parently no trick at all to keej) various species 

 of filmv ferns alive. (It should be rememlK-red that Mr. 

 '\\'ard's exiieriments were conducted in smoky London.) 

 lie records that HymenophyUum and some mosses were 

 planted in a lx)tt1e and that after nine vears, without anv 

 additional moisture Ix-ing applied, the plants were as fre.sh 

 as on the day they were enclosed. 



These successes evidently inspired more ambitious un- 

 dertakings and a house abf)Ut 8 ft. srjuare was built oiil- 

 side one of the windows facin^^ north. This was nlanted 

 Avith various ferns and flowering plants such as l.'nuucn 

 hnreali<:. Primula vidvaris, Dh^UnVw purpurea, Mrrniitif'sis 

 caiuhrica. Linara rvnihalaria and ni;inv others, all of which 

 succeeded well. This house was built with ;i jirrforated 



pipe around the top of it by means of which the plants 

 could be watered. Evidently when the size of the case 

 progresses beyond a certain limit [)rovision innsi iie made 

 for watering. 



The' "drawing room case" was interesting, containing 

 a.'^ it did. pahiis, ferns, lycopodiums, cacti and aloes. One 

 would think that it would be rather difficult to grow in 

 one container, plants requiring such varied conditions as 

 these, but the difficulty was overcome by planting the 

 moisture-loving plants in the Ixjttom of the case and sus- 

 jjending the succulents from a bar in the roof and com- 

 ])elling them to obtain all their moisture in the form of 

 vapor. He tells of a bottle containing Maniiiiillaria 

 tenuis and two or three fleshy species of Euphorbia; "The 

 plants have been enclosed four years, the mold consisting 

 of a very sandy loam. No water has been given since 

 the}- were planted and ail are in a state of perfect health 

 although now outgrowing their narrow bounds." 



Roses were grown by ])lanting small growing varieties 

 ii-i tubs and covering them with 1x41 glasses, which were 

 somewhat smaller in diameter than the tubs. 44iese were 

 placed out-of-doors and they received most of their water 

 from the rain which seeped in between the jar and the 

 edge of the tub. These continued for three years and Mr. 

 Ward states that they required no attention other than 

 an occasional pruning. 



These experiments led to a house being constructed, 

 heated by hot water, which approximates very closely the 

 greenhouse as we know it today, but presumably no pro- 

 vision was made for ventilating the house. The range of 

 temjierature recorded in this house in the lower part is 

 between 45 and 90 degrees and at the top between 30 and 

 1.30 degrees. A varied collection of plants was grown, 

 such as palms, ferns, Calafhea, Caladiuni. succulents of 

 various Icinds , orchids, and flowering plants such as 

 Begonia, FiieJisia, and Passion Flower.. 



* ■■-.: ■•:■ 



It is rather amazing that \\'ardian cases are not used 

 to a larger extent in growing plants in dwelling houses. 

 There is no doubt that they achieve their ])urpose. if in- 

 telligence is used in the selection of plants to fill them. 

 There is similarly no doubt that they aftord an ojiportu- 

 nitv of enjoying the beantv of the plants, and the interest 

 of growing them, to people who would othci-\\-ise be en- 

 tirely deprivcfl of this pleasure. 



It would seem that there are possibilities for progressive 

 gardeners and florists in this system of growing plants. 

 So far the only extensive use made of it is to be seen in 

 the Fall, when fish globes, furnished with berried jilants 

 of Mitehella repens. the Partridge lierry, and covered 

 tightly with glass, are sold in the stores. 



W'ard evidently had great expectations concerning ihc 

 value ;ind wide a|;])licabilitv of his invention, some of 

 which unfortm-iately have never been realized, i-'or ex- 

 ample in the chapter "On the application of the closed 

 plan in improving the condition of the poor." he suggests 

 that there are numbers of people in hnniblr circumstances 

 in crowded cities with a ])assionate love for llowers that 

 could be gratitied by making use of a Wardian case. He 

 jioinls out that a case can be made very cheaply ruid that 

 it cm be furnished still more cheaply by gathering wild 

 plants from the woods sm"rounding- London. l'"vi(lently 

 he cares nothing for the feelings of tlie "W'ild I'lowcr 

 Pre.servation .Societx" — if such existed in his da\-. 



He ,"-oes on to admonish the iioor and chide iIkwc re- 

 sponsible for the creation of "fanc\" or "llori>l>-" llow- 

 ers in i)hr;iseoloi.'\- that sounds ratliei- c|n,-iint in these days. 

 He will he.-ir (|uoling a.yain at this jioint : 



"But I must here caution the poor agru'nst induluing 

 a t.'i^tc for what are called f;ini-\- llowrs — things which 

 ( Cciiiimiril on h""r \07 ) 



