78 FERNS IN THEIR HOMES AND OURS. 



upon a house should be chiefly to secure comfort 

 to the plants, and security against sudden changes 

 of the weather ; and all ornament is purely a 

 matter of pleasure to its owner. In town, where 

 the house is in a conspicuous situation, it may be 

 worth while to consider the addition of any deco- 

 rations that will not detract from its usefulness ; 

 although it must be said that most of the fret- 

 work and jig-saw "trimmings" seen on so many 

 such buildings are an offence to the eye, as they 

 are expensive to the purse. Unless it is certain 

 that the money set aside for adornment will be 

 most judiciously employed, we had best be on the 

 safe side, and do our own decorating with good 

 climbing-plants, trained on the ends of the house 

 exposed to view. Nothing can excel the beautiful 

 work of such natural decorators as Ampelopsis 

 VetcJiii (or our own A. qiLinqiiefolia), Wistaria, and 

 many other climbers which are hardy in the North- 

 ern States. In the more genial warmth of the 

 South, there is almost an endless list of plants 

 available for this purpose. 



For the shelves of the house, wood must gener- 

 ally suffice. To save trouble, and give the chance 

 for greater evaporation, an inch of sand on the 

 shelves, as a bed on which to set the pots, is 

 serviceable. For more elaborate shelving, slate is 

 the best material. Common roofing-slates set on 

 the beams make a good foundation for a bench for 



