of Rural Art and Taste. 



171 



Ferneries 



Hoiv to tntiL-f thfiti anil iflDit to put lit. them, 



AN ADDRESS liV JOHN ROBINSON, BEFORE ESSEX IN- 

 STITUTE. SALEM, MASS. 



1 



them, were originally called Wardian 

 cases, in honor of their inventor, Dr. B. N. 

 Ward, of London, who published a book upon 

 the subject in 1842. These cases are only a 

 modification of the hand-glass always used to 

 foi'ce or protect plants in the greenhouse or 

 open air ; yet the placing of this in a practical 

 way renders it easy to import the plants of 

 foreign tropical countries, which otherwise 

 could never be seen here in a living state, 

 besides enabling us to grow at home as beauti- 

 ful ferns and other delicate, moisture-loving 

 plants as are seen in the hot-house or con- 

 servatory. 



The fern case, as it comes from the cabinet- 

 maker's, is a handsome piece of furniture, but 

 an expensive one — so expensive, perhaps, as 

 to deter many from possessing a fernery. 

 This need not be, for at home a case can be 

 made just as serviceable, and having some 

 advantages even over the expensive ones. 



Procure from your carpenter a good pine 

 board of the dimensions you may wish, for the 

 base of your structure, which by the way 

 should be about one-third longer than wide. 

 Next obtain a suitable molding (black walnut 

 is the best), and fit it around the base-board, 

 as if it was a picture-frame on end. Next 

 have a zinc pan made to fit closely inside of 

 this, coming up to the top of the molding. 

 Do not have any turned-over edge or ring to 

 the pan, as they are of no use ; neither should 

 the pan be made first, as it is difficult to make 

 a neat box to fit outside it. Have the pan 

 painted on the inside with a good coat of tar, 

 as the delicate roots of the plants dislike to 

 come in contact with a metal surface. Next 

 comes the glass ; and here is where most 

 persons fail. Be sure the glass is inside the 

 the pan, and never have the pan inside the 

 glass, for the moisture collecting on the glass 



7ERN cases, or ferneries, as most of us call 



runs down outside the pan to the woodwork, 

 rotting it, and very likely between the mould- 

 ing and base-board, on to the table or what 

 else the case rests on, causing much trouble. 

 Also in watering, the glass directs the water 

 in like manner, with the same if not worse 

 results. 



A good proportion for the glass is to have 

 it as high above the base as the case is wide, 

 and it should go to the bottom of the pan. 

 Have the corners true and the top level, that 

 the plate of glass which covers the top, and 

 which should be one-fourth of an inch larger 

 all around, shall be even. With common 

 flour-paste attach narrow strips of cloth up 

 over the corner angles on the outside, but 

 only an inch or so down the inside from the 

 top. When dry, paste some dark paper over 

 it, so as to cover the cloth, also around the 

 top plate of glass, to prevent the edge from 

 cutting your hands. No cloth is necessary 

 for this. Fill and oil the black walnut mould- 

 ing, and the case is complete. 



A still more simple one is to tar the inside 

 and paint the outside of a shallow pine box, 

 and place the glass directly inside it. If you 

 intend purchasing a handsome case, it will be 

 better to have one made to order, as all the 

 ready-made ones usually offered for sale have 

 the case poorly and incorrectly constructed, in 

 more ways than one. Nearly all have flat 

 tops, to be avoided where there is woodwork 

 (the home-made case having no woodwork at 

 the top, it is not a disadvantage). One ad- 

 vantage possessed by the expensive case, is 

 that the whole top takes off, enabling you to 

 work all around, and not entirely from over- 

 head. Here you may construct ruins, grottos, 

 arches, etc., with pumice and cement. Pum- 

 ice is so light that it adds but little weight 

 to the case, and the cement will bind the 

 whole together as firmly as one rock, all at 

 a very slight expense, at the same time add- 

 ing much to the beauty of the interior. Very 

 neat circular cases are for sale at the stores, 

 and can be filled so as to be very attractive. 

 They can also be used as fern nurseries. To 

 do this, make the earth damp and firm on top, 

 having first placed a few small pieces of 



