MEANS TO THE END. 



wood-work, or clay, and covered either by a glass 

 shade or by a bell glass. A Fern-case, if suffi- 

 ciently high and large, may stand on the floor. 

 If smaller in shape, on a side-table, mantelpiece, 

 or window-ledge ; or it may be accommodated 

 with a stand of bronzed or galvanized iron, or of 

 stout wood-work, moulded or carved into any 

 shape. 



The material of which the Fern-stand what- 

 ever its shape or design is made is a matter of 

 some importance. Porcelain, glass, terra cotta, 

 majolica, stone, wood, and clay have all been 

 brought into requisition by the host of Fern- 

 case manufacturers. Of these glass for stands is 

 perhaps the only one which may be said to be 

 incongruous when brought into association with 

 Ferns. But it is only important to raise an 

 objection to those glass stands and they are the 

 majority, we believe, of those manufactured 

 which have no holes perforated in them to allow 

 of proper drainage to the plants. It is a fatal 

 mistake to omit provision for drainage ; for, with 

 the greatest care in watering, there can be no 

 certainty that the Ferns, in unperforated stands, 



