40 THE IMITATION, IN CLOSED CASES, OF 
pleasure of sending you some particulars of the 
plant of Trichomanes in my possession. 
In the spring of 1843, I received a small por- 
tion of the rhizome, about five or six inches long, 
with one frond partially developed, and one other 
just appearing, which I placed in a bell-glass 
about fifteen inches diameter. In December, 
1846, it quite filled the glass, and in that month 
1 removed it into a case 3 feet 10 inches by 
2 feet 6 inches, and 3 feet 4 inches in height — 
the space under this, about twelve inches in 
depth, was filled with upturned flower-pots, 
charcoal, cocoa-nut husks, and light earth and 
peat. The plant now nearly fills this case. It 
is difficult to count the fronds accurately, but, as 
nearly as I can count them, they number two 
hundred and thirty or upwards, of fully-developed 
fronds ; the length of the fully-opened fronds 
being from fourteen to twenty and a-half inches, 
taking the length from the end of the stem, 
where it starts from the rhizome, to the point 
of the frond. When removing it to the present 
case, in Dec. 1846, I cut away five or six fronds 
which had been injured by contact with the 
glass, but since that time not one of the fronds 
then existing, nor any of those since formed, 
have shown any symptoms of decay. As to the 
general treatment, having originally provided well 
