suffocating gases of the hold. In 1833, two cases were tilled with 
ferns, grasses, etc., and sent from England to Sidney, Australia, 
in perfect condition. There they were refilled with other plants and 
sent back. The voyage required eight months, the plants being 
on deck and not once watered, yet they arrived in the most healthy 
and vigorous condition. The cases permitted the plants to grow 
in plenty of light and the lack of air currents about them mini- 
mized the dangers from sudden changes of temperature. 
Wardian Case in Use at the Brooklvn Botanic Garden 
Plants (left to right) : Codiaeum evansianum (broad leaf with veins 
at right angles to midrib) ; Sansevieria thyrsiflora (narrow leaf with dark 
bands); English Ivy (heart-shaped leaf); Peperomia maculosa (in front, 
middle); variety of Boston Fern, (in rear); Dracaena deremensis (long 
leaves) ; Codiaeum aucubaefolium, (right hand corner, in front). 
Dr. Ward felt that his cases would do much to brighten the 
lives of the poor, enabling them to beautify their homes and to 
raise flowers and vegetables they might not otherwise have. His 
expectations have hardly been realized, yet the Wardian Case, as 
it is called, should be better known. It can be constructed at a 
moderate cost, requires little care, and in it a variety of plants 
may be grown, so that it adds greatly to the attractiveness of the 
home or school. 
3 
