354 FERNS: BRITISH AND FOREIGN. 



IY. CULTIVATION OF FERNS IN WARD'S CASES. 



IT is now thirty years since I was invited by Dr. 

 Ward to visit him at his house in Wellclose 

 Square, for the purpose of seeing plants growing 

 in cases and glass jars, so closed as to be considered 

 air-tight. Knowing, as I did, the common practice 

 of growing plants under hand and bell-glasses, I 

 therefore could not appreciate what I had gone to see 

 until I was made aware that the plant-loving residents 

 of such smoky and soot-falling districts of the metro- 

 polis, as that of Wellclose Square, could grow rare 

 and delicate plants equal to those at Kew. An 

 account of this method of growing plants appeared in 

 the Companion to the Botanical Magazine for 1836, and 

 in April, 1838, the celebrated philosopher Mr. Faraday 

 delivered a lecture at the Koyal Institution on the 

 subject, which may be considered as the advent and 

 introduction of Wardian cases, under which a large 

 portion, and decidedly the most beautiful of the 

 Fern family, are now successfully cultivated in the 

 sitting-rooms of the town-confined lovers of natural 

 objects. In 1842 Dr. Ward published a small work 

 on the subject, giving a history and details of manage- 

 ment, which renders it unnecessary for me to say more 

 regarding the early history of Ward's cases. The 

 principle on wtich the system is founded, consists 

 simply in shutting up air in glass cases, in such a 

 manner that it is not readily influenced by changes 

 of the external atmosphere. The case also contains 

 several inches depth of moist earth, that gives off 



