164 



WINDOW GARDENING 



if }*ou open the case every few days : It has the same effect as change of climate, 

 or open air exposure to a sick person accustomed only to the air of the house. 

 The confinement of ferns in these close cases has the tendency to make them 

 delicate, and the sudden opening of the case, with the introduction of the hot, 

 dry, dusty air from the rooms, is against all reason. 



It is sufficient to say, there- 

 fore, that when once planted 

 and closed, the fern case needs 

 no ventilation. Let it live by 

 itself. 



Drainage. 



This point comes up for dis- 

 cussion, and the only answer 

 we give is to ask another ques- 

 tion : " Do plants need drain- 

 age when the water is being 

 constantly evaporated and 

 thrown off in the open space 

 above the plants ?" In other 

 words, the plants are draining 

 themselves constantly. Here 

 is one great advantage of the 

 fern case .over the pot plant, 

 the latter requires constant 

 watering, the former none at 

 all, for no water escapes. Then 

 a fern case may be handled 

 with impunity by one in whose 

 hands we would not trust a 

 row of pot plants, and so is 

 be} r ond the reach of the care- 

 less or forgetful. 



filanagcment. 



Whether your case is of 

 wood, glass, or metal, yon will 

 require a pan in which to hold 



4. A Fern Window nnd Aqtmrinm. the plants. Zinc pans answer 



every purpose, combining economy and duraoility. Tin should not be used as 

 it will soon rust and wear out. 



No pan should be less than four inches deep, unless the plants are very dwarf 

 specimens, and then an inch less in depth will do, though there might be some 

 risk of crowding the roots too much. Then, again, too great a depth is objec- 



