Plant-growing in Wardian Cases. 127 



they may turn to advantage. It is quite easy if you 

 have the necessary materials to construct a Wardian 

 case for yourself, at considerably less outlay than you 

 would have to make in purchasing the elegant ones 

 sold by the dealers (see illustration). A neat zinc 

 bottom in the form of a box of the size you wish your 

 case to be, with narrow strips of zinc led up from the 

 corners and soldered together double, with binders 

 from corner to corner in the same way, and the glass 

 put in between the double strips and joined closely 

 with putty, would make a very good "Wardian case. 

 The glass should be very thick, and the top fastened 

 with two hinges. The zinc should be painted neatly. 

 A plant case should have a perforated false bottom to 

 allow surplus water to drain away, and the bottom 

 fitted with a small tap to draw the water off. The 

 neglect of this point is the ruin of many plant cases. 



Those of my readers who are able to follow out the 

 suggestions I give in this and the following chapters, 

 if they have not given much thought to plant-growing 

 in their rooms before, will soon be as enthusiastic as 

 the keenest old veteran in the art. There is an 

 absorbing interest in this lovely and innocent pursuit 

 that captivates the hearts of young and old. 



WAEDIAN CASE. 



