CULTIVATION. I5 
CULELVA ELON. 
In whatever light we may view the study of the fern 
tribe, we are apt to be somewhat enthusiastic. It is by no 
means necessary to spend much money in the cultivation 
of ferns. A strong square or oblong case will answer the 
purpose very well. It may be elaborate, and in keeping 
with the other furniture in the room. ‘This question, how- 
ever, may be left entirely to the taste of the owner. A 
case well filled with ferns, in a healthy condition, is an 
endless source of enjoyment. You ar€ sure to visit it 
every morning to watch the new fronds unfolding their 
downy heads, and to mark their growth day by day. In 
the far corner, where you least expected it, you observe 
a new one peeping above the soil. This is followed by a 
regular succession until you discover, when it is probably 
too late, that your case is too small. A case is almost 
indispensable to any one desirous of making ferns, in all 
their phases, the subject of careful study. The spores, 
when ripe, are scattered all around, and a few of them 
are sure to germinate. 
The etching of the young fern (Plate II, figure 6) was 
drawn from a specimen taken from our own fern-case. 
These delicate, flat bodies are attached to the glass of the 
sides or to the root-stocks of other ferns. A fern-case is 
also very useful for preserving the plants when newly col- 
lected, if it be desirable to examine them carefully before 
placing them within the drying papers. 
Fern-cases are usually called Wardian cases in honor 
