WARD'S CASES UNFIT FOR CULTIVATION. 221 



edges dipping into wet sand — a close cavity, with transparent sides, 

 and an interior possessing an Tiniform and unchangeable degree of 

 humidity. Thirty or forty years since, and probably long before, the 

 same principle was employed ia the drawing-rooms of the wealthy for 

 the preservation of the freshness of cut flowers : the flowers were placed 

 in a vase ; the vase stood in water, and a beU-glass, dipping its edges 

 into the water, covered the whole. There is not the smallest difference 

 in principle between these old contrivances and the modern Wardian 

 Case. But all such plans were merely preservative ; no one thought of 

 cultivating plants in close cases, though they found the latter invalu- 

 able for keeping plants alive. A cutting under a beU-glass was 

 surrounded with moist air until it had formed roots ; but the moment 

 the action of roots was secured it was transferred to the open air. 

 What Mr. "Ward did, when he proposed the case that bears his name, 

 was to contrive a large portable bell-glass and its supporter, made of 

 materials strong enough to bear the rough usage of a sea voyage. He 

 demonstrated the defects of the old travelling greenhouses, and sug- 

 gested a remedy, pointing out at the same time upon what principles 

 the remedy depended. That principle was— 1st, to expose plants to 

 light, and — 2nd, to ensure their being constantly surrounded by a 

 medium damp enough to keep their system in a state of activity. The 

 old travelling greenhouses, or plant cases, were open at the joints, and 

 the water originally contained in them quickly evaporated, leaving a 

 mass of parched earth in which no vegetation could long survive ; 

 they were also glazed with talc, or oyster shells, or other half-opaque 

 materials, through which no such amount of light could pass as plants 

 require for the preservation of their vitality. 



When properly constructed, the Wardian Case answers perfectly as 

 a means of transporting plants to great distances. It also has its value 

 in places where the air is filled with floating soot or dust ; or where it 

 is naturally too dry for vegetation, as in sitting-rooms. There the 

 lives of certain kinds of plants may be maintained for a long period of 

 time, with the appearance of health ; shade-loving races, such as Ferns 

 and Mosses, will even thrive there ; and others, like dry Crocuses and 

 Hyacinths, which have been previously made ready by the usual pro- 

 cesses, out of doors, may be led to blossom in perfection for a season, or 

 in some instances for more. 



It is asserted indeed that plants have been known to grow weU, and 

 flourish in Wardian Cases. To that statement I lend an incredulous 

 ear. It will be always found, upon inquiry, that such cases are opened 

 daily and ventilated freely, and thus, or otherwise, relieved from the 

 moisture with which the air is saturated. But those are not Wardian 

 Cases at aU ; they are merely greenhouses on a small scale, in which 

 plants grow well or ill, according to the care and skill with which they 

 are managed. A Wardian Case demands neither care nor skill ; its 



