MEANS TO THE END, 
163 
wood-work, or clay, and covered either by a glass 
shade or by a bell glass. A Fern-case, if suffi¬ 
ciently high and large, may stand on the floor. 
If smaller in shape, on a side-table, mantelpiece, 
or window-ledge; or it may be accommodated 
with a stand of bronzed or galvanized iron, or of 
stout wood-work, moulded or carved into any 
shape. 
The material of which the Fern-stand—what¬ 
ever its shape or design—is made is a matter of 
some importance. Porcelain, glass, terra cotta, 
majolica, stone, wood, and clay have all been 
brought into requisition by the host of Fern- 
case manufacturers. Of these glass for stands is 
perhaps the only one which may be said to be 
incongruous when brought into association with 
Ferns. But it is only important to raise an 
objection to those glass stands—and they are the 
majority, we believe, of those manufactured— 
which have no holes perforated in them to allow 
of proper drainage to the plants. It is a fatal 
mistake to omit provision for drainage; for, with 
the greatest care in watering, there can be no 
certainty that the Ferns, in unperforated stands, 
