HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



407 



WAR 



clay, then provision must be made for 

 ample drainage, else, no matter of what 

 material the walk or road is composed, 

 unless the water passes through it or off j 

 it rapidly, it will never be satisfactory. 

 As the formation of walks and roadways 

 cannot well be explained without illustra- 

 tions, we beg to refer the reader to our 

 work, Practical Floriculture, page 20. 

 Wardian Case. This is a neat contrivance, 

 used for such plants as require a moist, 

 still atmosphere, such as Ferns, Mosses, 

 the so-called " insect eating " plants, such 

 as Nepenthes, Sarracenias, Dionceas, etc., or 

 tropical plants grown for the beauty of 

 their leaves, as Draccenas, Crotons, Maran- 

 tas, Caladiums, etc. The Wardian Case 

 has a base or tray made of Black Wal- 

 nut, Oak, or other ornamental wood about 

 six inches deep, and lined with zinc, and 

 glass sides and hinged top; or the tray 

 is made of terra cotta or other earthen- 

 ware. They are made of various sizes, 

 the average, however, being about twen- 

 ty-four inches long, and sixteen inches 

 in width and heigh't. They should be 

 elevated on a stand to a height that will 

 allow its contents to be best seen, as the 

 plants used for that purpose should be 

 such as will bear the closest inspection 

 for richness of shading or curious con- 

 struction of leaves. When the Wardian 

 Case is first filled with plants, it should 

 be given water sufficient to reach to the 

 bottom of the soil, but not enough to 

 make the soil too wet The top of the 

 case is hinged, so that it can be lifted to 

 allow the escape of moisture, which, when 

 in excess when the case is closed, will be 

 known by its trickling down the sides of 

 the glass. Usually it will be sufficient to 

 raise the lid an inch or so every day or 

 two to keep the glass free from this 



WAT 



moisture; and no ventilation is necessary 

 except to get rid of this excess, as the 

 closer it is kept the better it is for the 

 welfare of the peculiar class of plants 

 suited for it. The effectiveness of the 

 Wardian Case depends a great deal on 

 the arrangement of the plants, the tallest 

 and most conspicuous being in the cen- 

 ter, with the smallest towards the edges, 

 varying the interest on all sides of it by 

 contrasting the different colorings and 

 forms of the leaves. The Wardian Case 

 should be placed in a position where it 

 does not get the direct sunlight The 

 plants with which it is usually filled are 

 natives of shady woods or marshes, where 

 they are sheltered from winds and in 

 partial shade, and the nearer their natu- 

 ral condition can be imitated in the 

 Wardian Case the better. Ferneries, so 

 called, require substantially the same 

 character of plants and the same treat- 

 ment, the only real difference being that 

 they are round, and the glass covering is 

 what is known as a bell glass, which see. 



Wart. A firm glandular excrescence or 

 hardened protuberance on the surface. 



Watering. This is one of the most import- 

 ant operations in the indoor culture of 

 plants, and one that it is almost impossi- 

 ble to get a proper knowledge of without 

 actual experience, as the circumstances 

 are so various when water should be 

 given or withheld, that, were we to write 

 a volume on the subject, it would not be 

 of as much value as a year's actual prac- 

 tice. There are, however, some general 

 rules that it will help the beginner to keep 

 in mind. One important rule is, never 

 to water a plant until it is dry. What 

 this condition of dryness is, is governed 

 not altogether by the indications of the 

 soil being dry on the surface, but also by 



