197 



tish Association i'or the advancement of Science," showing the 

 average life of a horse-shoe geranium, a verbena, a myrtle, a heath, or 

 a Fuchsia, when translated into the — atmosphere — I was about to 

 write soil — of Devonshire-street. The myrtle, I think, enjoys the 

 maximum, and the blue bell (Scilla nutans) the minimum of exist- 

 ence ; the latter is imported every spring, " all-a-blowing, all-a-grow- 

 ing," from the woods of Kent and Surrey ; but never lifts its head 

 amid the impurities of our atmosphere. 



Without any attempt to ascertain the causes of this mortality, in- 

 deed, bowing implicity to the researches of Mr. Ward, who has so 

 ably investigated " the causes which interfere with the natural condi- 

 tions of plants in large towns," — I could not but conclude that the 

 air contained or conveyed something eminently fatal to vegetable 

 life : while, on the other hand, the partial success of the Wardian 

 cases induced me to believe in the possibility of excluding all that 

 was injurious : in fact, I imagined 1 could get up an atmospheric esta- 

 blishment on a small scale, which should have but little connexion 

 with the atmosphere of the metropolis. I have said " the partial suc- 

 cess of the Wardian cases ;" for candour compels me to add that I 

 consider the success of the Wardian cases incomplete. The enclosed 

 plants adopt too literally the plan of self government : they inconti- 

 nently run their heads against the glass, which is always streaming 

 with condensed vapour, and, in that position, flatten their faces 

 and decay piecemeal. Then, again, you very rarely obtain a com- 

 fortable view of the interior of a well-filled and well-closed Wardian 

 case : the water on the glass, and the exuberant growth of some of 

 the plants, greatly interfere with this : how often does some luxuriant 

 monster overwhelm and stifle the rarer and more tender species, on 

 which you happened peculiarly to have set your affections ! " Aye !" 

 says Mr. Ward, " this is perfectly true if the cases are not properly 

 managed, but not otherwise ; all the evil arises from mismanagement." 

 Bad management may be the cause of all these disagreeables : I will 

 not contest the point ; but, judging from the numerous cases I have 

 seen, I think I may safely state that bad management is the rule, 

 good management the exception : for closely glazed cases are almost 

 invariably labouring under the diflSculties enumerated. 



***** 



Submitting with resignation to the belief that I was never more to 

 enjoy the opportunity of watching my favourite ferns perfom their 

 various acts of existence in a state of nature ; confident of the neces- 

 sity of such watching before I made any further progress in their his- 



