278 
THE LADIES’ MAGAZINE OF GARDENING. 
on, crossing each other in different directions, with the knees or elbows 
pointing outwards, so that the whole had something the appearance of a 
Roman trophy; moss was then tied on where it was thought requisite, 
and bits of peat inserted in some of the supports, and the plants nailed or 
tied on with wire, or simply placed in the angles formed by the pieces of 
transverse wood. The plants in front throve exceedingly well, but those 
with their back to the wall were found to grow weak and perish. I then 
devised with my gardener, Mr. Seymour, who has great merit in carrying 
the plan into execution, to fix two iron pegs or pivots into the two 
ends of the posts, of which the lower one is let into a hole drilled in a 
stone, and the upper is inserted into a ring of strong wire fastened either 
under a rafter or secured between two. The result is that the whole of 
each trophy, with its plants, turns round at the slightest touch. The 
gardener moves them a little every time he comes into the house, so that 
no plant is either constantly exposed to the full light or totally obscured, 
and the most agreeable facility is given to examine the plants and to 
clean them. Each of these machines bears a marvellous number of 
species with ease, and the greater part of my collection is now spinning 
upon them, much to my satisfaction.” 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
In answer to the numerous queries which I have received on the 
subject of glass-cases for growing plants in rooms, I think the best plan 
will be first to give my readers a detail of the improved glass-cases 
invented by Sir John Robison, of Randolph-crescent, Edinburgh, which 
are generally allowed to be the best, and then to state what I have seen 
of plants grown in these cases. 
DESCRIPTION OF A GLASS-CASE FOR GROWING PLANTS IN 
ROOMS. 
BY SIR JOHN ROBISON, SEC. R. S. E. 
{Extracted from the Gard. Mag. vol. xvi.) 
I have been getting up a plant-case of the kind described in the 
Gardener’s Magazine for 1839 (p. 481), in which I think I have intro¬ 
duced some essential improvements. 1st, instead of an expensive brass 
frame for small panes of crown glass, I have substituted four sides and a 
flat top of plate glass, which, requiring only corner astragals and a top 
