WINDOW 



181 



Fig. 67. Fern or Flower Case. 



The strongest growing ferns may be placed in here, taking care to put a few 

 crocks of broken brick or charcoal in the bottom of each basin for drainage. 



They may be used also for spring flowering Bulbs, and filled with hyacinths, 

 crocuses, scillas, snowdrops, narcissus ; and then when these are over, the con- 

 tents may be emptied and refilled again with summer flowering plants ; but it \a 

 usually best to devote them to such classes of 

 plants as will flower the year round without 

 any change. 



Figs. 59 to 66 show the different styles of 

 mounting Fern cases with the customary cylin- 

 drical glass shades. 



In Fig. 43, we see one of the larger styles of 

 Miss Maling's designs, intended to set upon a 

 table. This is most charmingly filled ; and 

 perhaps we cannot do better than let Shirley 

 Hibberd himself, who filled it, tell us what is 

 in it: 



" It fell to my lot to construct the mimic arch- 

 way (a rockery,) and fill it with pockets for the 

 reception of small ferns. For that purpose I 

 took two square seed pans, and placed them bot- 

 tom upwards, on the zinc bottom of the case, as abutments, which, of course 

 when the case was filled with soil, were hidden from view. From the flat foun- 

 dation of clay thus provided, I began to build, using small pieces of coke dipped in 

 a batter of cement, and spending a few hours every day for four days in succession 

 upon the work ere it was completed. In the 

 pockets were inserted specimens of Cystopteris 

 reyia, Camptosaurus rhizophyllus, Asplenium 

 flabellifolium, Scolopendrium, vulgare var 

 ramosum, polyschides, and vulgare ramo mar 

 ginatum, Adiantum hispidulum, and a few Se- 

 laginellas. The latter soon grew so as to 

 smother the whole fabric, forming a rich bell of 

 various tints of blue and green, with the fern 

 pushing through them. On the right hand side 

 of the arch was planted Nephrolepis exaltata, 

 one of the most suberb of Wardian Case ferns, 

 and remarkably distinct, with its graceful arch- 

 ing polypodium-like fronds. 



On the left hand Nephrolepis pectinata, which is of the same habit of growth, 

 and a very beautiful and interesting fern; nevertheless, less beautiful than 

 the other, as it is also less vigorous. A small plant of Platycerium grandew&s then 

 planted in the shell of a cocoanut, and suspended by copper wire to the crown 

 of the arch, and this spring its new growth was so vigorous that it had to bf 



Fig. 68. Case for preserving flowers 

 fresh. 



