Plant-growing in Wardian Cases. 125 



grow and make nice specimen palms in the course of 

 time. 



A selection from the above list, with the addition of 

 a Geranium or two, a Fuchsia, and a pot of Lobelia 

 would be a very good arrangement. A case of this 

 kind for flowering and foliage plants requires plenty of 

 air throughout the day and to be kept nearly close at 

 night to protect the plants from gas. Airing must 

 always be given from the top of the case, -which should 

 be moveable to allow you to lift it up an inch or so at 

 a time. Pot plants in a case require plenty of water 

 during the summer season when they are growing, but 

 during the winter months they should be allowed less, 

 as all plants are then in a passive or resting state, 

 unless when forced unnaturally into growth by means 

 of heat. The inmates of your plant case should have 

 a sprinkling over head in the morning before the sun 

 shines on them with tepid water, and the same in the 

 evening when closing the top. 



Of course, as plants grow they will tend to get 

 crowded in the case and then you should either prune 

 some of your specimens, or take one or two of the 

 hardier sorts out to give room to the rest. It never 

 does to crowd plants either in a case or miniature 

 greenhouse, or when standing in pots in the window. 

 A few plants well grown are better than a crowded 

 mass of sickly ones. 



The bottom of your plant case can be laid with soil 

 and gravel, and Selaginella denticulata and other mosses 

 planted over it, which you can arrange in such a way 

 that the flower-pots may be partly hidden. Some of 



