16 FERNS OF KENTUCKY. 
of Mr. N. B. Ward, of London, who was the first to culti- 
vate ferns in small, close cases, suitable for a small room 
or parlor. The size of the case should not be less than 
twelve by twenty-four inches. The box for holding the soil 
should be four and a half or five inches deep, lined with 
zinc or asphaltum; the height of the glass, twelve inches, 
and the roof, nine inches. In a case of these dimensions 
a fern with fronds twenty-one inches in length may 
be grown. The same proportions may be observed in 
making larger cases, except that very little increase in the 
depth of the box for holding the soil will be required. 
One of double the size, or eighteen by thirty-six inches, 
will make a handsome ornament for the room. Doors may 
be made for it, thus enabling you to examine the plants as 
often as desirable, removing, from time to time, the brown 
and withered fronds, and destroying the slugs and parasites 
which infest the plants. Some fern-growers recommend 
that the case be kept air-tight. The plants will doubtless 
grow well enough, but you will be denied the pleasure 
of examining them closely, and the glass will always be 
obscured with moisture. 
The character of the soil is of very great importance. 
Healthy plants require an appropriate soil. In the War- 
dian case first lay on the bottom, to the depth of one inch, 
any drainage material, such as broken pieces of crockery, 
or small bits of brick about the size of a marble; then 
fill the wooden box with soil. Some prefer a mixture of 
fibrous peat and sand, while others choose a light loam. 
Let the soil be entirely free from worms and slugs. Ina 
large case there is a fine opportunity of showing good taste 
in the manner of planting the ferns. A lady friend, who 
takes great interest in her fern-case, has it beautifully 
arranged every winter. She manages to have the prettiest 
