HOUSE PLANTS. 



255 



HOUSE PLA1IT& 



All ladies who love flowers have experienced dif- 

 ulty in keeping plants in the house. The sitting 

 oni, the dining room, the hall — all have been tried, 

 d no place seemed just fitted for them. When 

 st bought they were of a beautiful green — they 

 Dked luxuriant, healthy and happy. Soon the 

 ives began to change color and become dull ; and 

 me turned yellow and fell off. You then redoubled 

 ur attentions — watered more frequently and sought 

 )re carefully for insects or anything that could 

 erfere with the growth or health of the plants ; — 

 t all to no purpose. The plants that were so 

 autiful are sickly looking things, and instead of 

 a source of pleasure are only an annoyance. 

 )w there is a cause for this, and a remedy. The 

 nosphere of our living rooms is too dry. The air 

 the greenhouse, where the plants flourished is 

 /ays charged with moisture. The plants are 

 inkled and .syringed, the walks are wet, and a cou- 

 nt evaporation is going on. Remove one of the 

 ints thus treated to a dry sitting-room, and it soon 

 ;ins to languish. When plants are kept in a dry 

 aosphere they rapidly lose their water of vegeta- 

 a ; the sides of the pots are robbed at the same 

 le ; and it is impossible for plants to suck out of 

 1 thus partially dried the moisture demanded for 

 : sustenance of their exhausted foliage. Such a 

 te of things is inseparable from a sitting room- 

 render the latter congenial to plants, it would be 

 inhabitable by ourselves. The extent to which 

 .nts are injured in a common sitting-room is strik- 

 •ly illustrated by the condition of cut flowers, 

 t two clusters of fresh-gathered flowers be intro- 

 3cd into a sitting-room : place the one into the 

 nth of a narrow-necked jar of water, and arrange 

 ! other upon a shallow pan of water. It will be 

 md that the latter will be perfectly fresh after the 

 mer have faded. The reason is, that in the nar- 

 v-necked jar the flowers have no access to the 

 ter except through the ends of their shoots, and 

 ! surrounded with a very dry air ; while, in the flat 

 h, they are able to absorb abundant water, a large 

 rt of their surface being in contact with it, and 

 !, moreover, surrounded by air incessantly moist- 

 3d by the vapor which continually rises from the 

 illow dish. 



To remedy this evil, N". Ward, an amateur eulti- 

 tor of London constructed portable green-houses, 

 glazed cases, and by this means, in his drawing- 

 om, was enabled to carry the cultivation of plants, 



even rare ones, and those of difficult growth, to an 

 amazing state of perfection. These cases are called 

 IFardiaii Cases, in compliment to the inventor, and 

 are made of various styles according to taste or 

 means. We give engravings of two stylea 



WARniAH CASE. 



The object of these cases is to secure a moist 

 atmosphere for the plants, independent of the room. 

 They are therefore tightly-glazed, so as to prevent 

 the escape of moisture into the room, and thus, any 

 any desirable amount of moisture is secured, and all 

 dust excluded 



ORNAMENTAL WARDIAN CASE. 



We have known plants that have been kept in these 

 cases for more than a year in good health and con- 

 dition with but one supply of water. The heat of 

 the room in which the case stands produces evapo- 

 ration during the day time, and during night conden- 

 sation takes place, and the moisture is returned to 

 the soil. As the cases, however, are not entirely 

 air-tight, a slow but constant loss of moisture occurs. 



