V * 
46 Rustic Adornments. 
distinctive forms, having but few attractions in respect of colour to engage 
the attention, much less win the admiration, of the unobservant or the 
careless, who might be struck with surprise at the splendour of a display 
of flowers or fireworks. They have never held a higher place than now in 
the circle of household adornments ; indeed, their adoption as domestic pets 
is of the most recent date, and to recall the circumstances of their introduc¬ 
tion to the fireside has at least one pleasing accessory in the necessary 
association of the fact with the memory of a good man, who was amongst us 
when “ Rustic Adornments ” first bid for public approbation, but has since 
gone to his rest. It may be claimed for ferns, in an especial manner, that 
they have conferred benefits on their votaries without becoming thereby 
associated with any such folly or extravagance as we are compelled to record 
with regret when we trace the history of many other subjects which have been 
conspicuously numbered amongst domestic recreations. If there ever was a 
“ fern mania ” it was a harmless one. If compared with the “ tulip mania ” 
it stands apart as bright and pure as the ferns themselves; and its incidents 
will justify us in saying, that the quiet that belongs to ferns in their own 
natural world is to be found also in the taste which finds gratification in 
collecting and cultivating them. 
The fern-case, whether it be a grand or a humble example of its class, is 
the best reminder of the existence and plentifulness of beauty in the out-door 
world that we can have for all seasons close beside us in our homes. When 
the woods are leafless, and the fields and gardens destitute of attractions, the 
little fireside garden still shines in emerald green, and russet brown, and gold 
and silver leafage, safe from frost, suggesting that the time is not far off 
when the woods will be robed again, and ten thousand flowers will spring 
forth to welcome the renewal of the season of song. The exquisite beauty of 
a good collection of case ferns skilfully managed may well account for the 
popularity of this class of plants amongst residents in towns, who by means 
of a fern-case can secure a garden in the closest and smokiest localities, where, 
if exposed to the influences of the poisonous atmosphere, scarcely any kind 
of vegetation long survives. Especially valuable to the invalid is a fern-case; 
it affords amusement without exertion; a subject for study unattended with 
fatigue; an innocent, remunerative relaxation from cares, and a perpetual 
antidote to weariness and ennui. It is in the city, without doubt, that the 
indoor fern garden is most precious. The citizen may refresh himself with 
the sight of a meadow by travelling to it, he may even here and there see in 
