242 THE WARDIAN CASE. 



of the soil. The water in the dish does not become foul 

 unless the flowers begin to decay ; should this be the 

 case, a little powdered charcoal will at once arrest the 

 tendency. 



We have found many flowers to last very long in per- 

 fection. Thus, camellias, two weeks; azaleas, from two 

 to four weeks ; daphne, ten days ; allamanda, four days ; 

 the scarlet bracts of poinsettia, six weeks ; heath, from 

 one to three weeks; roses, five days; diosma (the green 

 sprigs), four weeks; chorizema, one week ; cyclamen, 

 three weeks ; mahernia, eight days ; cinerarias, two weeks ; 

 calceolarias, one week; pinks, ten days; heliotropes, and 

 other thin-petalled flowers, three to six days; geraniums, 

 from six to ten days ; orchids, such as Cattleya and 

 Oncidium, from six to ten days. Care must be taken 

 not to have the case so damp as to cause mould to 

 collect on the flowers ; experience will be the best teacher 

 in this respect. 



A very simple case may be constructed by procuring a 

 shallow, round, glass dish, about two feet in diameter; 

 set in this a glass dish two sizes smaller, and about three 

 or four inches deep ; fill the outer dish with water, 

 the inner with earth, and plant your ferns. Procure a 



