CHAPTEE V. 
FERN POTS, PANS, AND CONTRIVANCES, 
ROCKWORK, &c. 
1ST the cultivation of Ferns under artificial con- 
ditions, such as in glasshouses, Wardian cases, 
frames, &c., there is ample scope for the 
ingenious in contriving suitable receptacles for 
the plants, which, without being unsightly or 
expensive, shall meet the requirements of species 
of varying habit — drooping, upright, spreading, 
creeping, or otherwise. Nothing, of course, can 
be better for many purposes — where, for instance, 
the object is to mask a wall — than the many forms of flat- 
sided hanging pots of red ware, which can be purchased at 
moderate prices. 
Cork baskets or half-baskets are also available, and possess 
the advantage of being easily made and as easily secured to 
the wall by means of copper wire and wall hooks, as described 
later on. Care must, however, be taken that these are 
thoroughly filled with earth when the Ferns are planted, as, 
otherwise, the soil may settle into cavities, in which the roots 
are left exposed and perish, or the plant may suddenly sub- 
side, and require lifting to be presentable. Cork, however, is 
not of itself very congenial to plant growth, as there is no 
evaporation through it, and it affords no attraction for the 
