174 
WnVD OW GARD ENINO 
After you have put the plants in the case, water with a small watering pot 
with a fine nose. Saturate the earth prett}-- thoroughly, but not to make it 
muddy. There are many other varieties of the Lygodiums not mentioned above 
Lyrjodium, apoduni, densum, caesium, arboretim, lipidophyllum, their roots will 
extend over tlie earth, covering all the bare spots with, a fiesli greeu carpet of 
delicate growth. 
Sliould we be able to procure a plant of the greenhouse species of climbing 
fern, Lygodiumjlsxuosum, or L. japonicum, another beautiful object will be 
added 
Among the climbing ferns, are some of the most graceful ferns in the whole 
family of FiUces. There is one plant, however, not a fern, which does exceed- 
ingly well in a fern case, and is remarkably interesting. We refer to Ficus stip- 
ulata. This plant, a vine, is a free grower, and chmbs up the sides of our case 
by its roots, which, aided by the moisture on the glass, spread and adhere to it 
jIlllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllilillllllllillillllllllllllllM 
Fig. 54.— Plaut Case. 
It is a hard wooded plant, roots quickly from cuttings, and grows so freely as to 
fill a moderate sized case very rapidly. 
After you have become accustomed to growing ferns in the case, you will per- 
haps crave a little variety. This can be easily had. Suppose you look a little 
into the curiosities of growth and reproduction. 
If you look on the under side of the fern fronds, you will find something re- 
sembling a brown powder, adhering to them thickly in regularly distributed 
masses of varied shapes, depending upon the species. 
Examining with the magnifier or microscope, you find them to be seeds or 
spores. 
Shake these spores, which appear like the veriest dust, over the surface of the 
earth in an ordinary fern case, after it has been well smoothened. The earth 
should be watered very thoroughly previous to scattering the spores 
