THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 299 



time to keep the plants cool. Never have the ease altogether 

 closed ; always make provision for a gentle circulation of fresh air. 

 A fern should never be allowed to suffer for want of water, but 

 during the winter months, when all plants are comparatively at 

 rest, less moisture and watering will do. As a rule, ferns can 

 hardly be overdone with moisture at the roots all through the 

 growing season, as long as no stagnant water is allowed to lodge 

 about them. You should always make sure, therefore, that the 

 drainage is ample, and in good working order. 



The soil most suitable for the rockwork inside the case is the 

 same as recommended for pots ; that is, roughly broken peat earth 

 and silver sand in equal parts, with a small proportion of sandy 

 loam added. If you go to any nurseryman he will give you the 

 proper soil you require, if you tell him for what pui'pose you want 

 it. It is better to do this than to mix up your own compost, and 

 you are sure of getting good soil ready for work at once. When 

 arranging your rockery, make up a heap of this soil and place your 

 burrs, or rocks, in a natural easy style over it. There will be no 

 difficulty in planting your ferns and mosses afterwards ; you can just 

 displace a stoue to allow of that being done, and replace it again. 

 In this you will have an opportunity of displaying your good taste 

 and skill as a plant-grower. The neater the arrangement, the more 

 credit will accrue to you, and remember that you should never give 

 your ferns manure water, as I recommended for flowering plants ; 

 they do not care for it. 



The TVardian case can either be placed on a stand or table in 

 your room, on stair landings or in halls and vestibules, or fitted up 

 in a window recess in connection with the lower sash of the window, 

 and treated much in the same way as the miniature greenhouse. 

 There are a great number of lovely plants, not hardy enough to 

 grow in the miniature greenhouse, which can be grown to perfec- 

 tion in a Wardian case, inside your room, where they will have the 

 benefit of the warmth kept up for your own comfort ; and one of 

 the great points in favour of a glazed case, is that your plants enjoy 

 a nice moist atmosphere, in the arid temperature of a room, and are 

 completely protected from the poisonous effects of gas, which would 

 quickly destroy them if not enclosed. 



A truly grand case of flowering and foliage plants alone can be 

 made up out of the following list. They are all of easy manage- 

 ment, and require a soil to grow in composed of nearly equal parts 

 of peat earth, leaf-mould, and turfy loam, with a good proportion of 

 silver sand added: Allamanda grandiflora, A. Schotii, Achimenes of 

 sorts, Gloxinias of sorts, Gesnerias of sorts, Gesneria Oxoniensis, 

 Soya hdla, KalosantUes of sorts, Caladiums of sorts, and Begonias 

 of sorts. 



Of serviceable hardy orchids we have Oypripedium barbatum, 

 C. insigne, C. venustum, Dendrobium nobile, Oncidium barbatum, 

 O.jlexuosum, Trichopilia coccinea, Ly caste tilcinneri. 



And for climbers we have the lovely Kennedyas of sorts, and 

 Stephanotis floribmda, and 8. prof ma, a very free-blooming variety 

 for pots. The ILoyu Leila also makes a lovely climber. A very nice 



October. 



