verbena, is a shrub much esteemed for the delicious fragrance of its leaves, and often to be seen even in cottage windows. In the south of Ireland it grows well in the open air, but it is a green-house plant in Scotland.

All that is necessary for successful indoor culture is attention to the general directions previously given. If plants have sufficient air, light, warmth, and moisture, and be potted in proper soil, nothing else is needed, save a little care in keeping them clean, occasionally stirring the upper portion of the soil, turning them regularly to the light, lopping off old wood, pruning unseemly shoots, and removing decayed leaves. It may sometimes happen, notwithstanding all

ordinary care, that a few, such as the pelargoniums, may be infested with small green insects (aphides), or may otherwise take disease and languish. The aphides are generally destroyed by a sprinkling of powdered lime, the fumes of tobacco or sulphur, or even, where the nature of the plant will admit, by a thorough drenching with pure water. Scale disease consists in the presence of very curious little insects-popularly called scale insects, and bearing the scientific name coccus-adhering to the bark or leaves; it is almost always the result of inattention, of too much or too little water, of confined pots, or of forcing into unnatural growth, and can only be remedied by recurring to proper treatment; such as removal into larger pots, a supply of new soil, cutting asunder and replanting matted roots, or by giving small doses of active manures, as nitrate of soda, ammoniacal water, liquid guano, and the like. Washing with soap and water, by means of a brush, is also beneficial, care being taken not to injure the leaves or bark. When slugs or other vermin infest the soil in which plants are grown, the above manures will in general kill them; if not, a drenching with lime-water-allowing it to pass off through the holes in the bottom of the pot or box-is sure to prove effectual, at the same time that it is likely to add to the vigour of the plants.

Since the main object of domestic floriculture is to improve the taste for what is lovely and ornamental, it should be the aim of all growers who can afford the outlay, to procure pots of as handsome shapes as possible. The common earthenware pot is often very clumsily made, though not of itself an inelegant object; but others may be constructed with ornamental mouldings in relief, or in the form of vases, urns, and the like, which would add greatly to the grace of a flower-stand. Pots may also be constructed of stone, of polished slate, as manufactured by Mr Beck of London, of cast-iron, wood, and the like, and in highly-elegant fashions, either to be set on plain shelving or on ornamental stands. Elegance, however, does not consist in exuberance of ornament; the plainer often the better; and correct taste will avoid all grotesque and fantastic shapes-such as representations of plants and animals in postures and situations in which they are never to be found in nature. There is an endless

variety of pots; some intended to afford better drainage than the common sort; others, by being double-that is, a pot within a pot, and the space between filled with water-to afford a more equable supply of moisture; and many whose main object is display and ornament. The kind we recommend are of a middle size, about five inches high, and provided with saucers for receiving water. regards stands for flower-pots, there are various kinds, ornamental and otherwise, a selection from which may be left to taste.

As

Of plants for suspension, a great variety can always be easily obtained, and as easily nurtured, as the majority of them need very little attention. Some require to be grown in pots, and watered; but many will send down their graceful pendents and blossoms for years with no other supply of moisture than what they absorb from the atmosphere. Indeed, a number can be grown without the aid of soil; a wet rag or ball of moss being the only protection their roots seem to demand. Pendent plants form very handsome appendages to a dwelling apartment, and no amateur should be without a variety to grace his collection. Of these may be mentioned, as worthy of adoption, saxifraga sarmentosa, linaria cymbalaria, fuchsia radicans and decumbens, Russelia juncea, lantana selloviana, some kinds of cactus, ferns, lycopodiums, &c.; and with a little management, the prostrate verbenas, lobelias, and mimuluses, the trailing mesembryanthemums, with campanula rupestris, campanula fragilis, campanula hirsuta, and a multitude of plants which resemble them in their habits. Even some annuals, flowering in early spring, as nemophila atomaria and insignis, Nolana atriplicifolia, &c., create a good display when suspended in pots; and many of the tender creepers before mentioned may be trained pendent as well as erect.

It may happen, from the vitiation of the air in towns and in dwelling apartments, from dust, or from other circumstances, that_it is impossible to grow the plants we most wish in open pots. To remedy this, a plan was some years ago devised by Mr Ward, a surgeon in London, of keeping the plants under close glazed frames, in which situation they grow and flourish in perfection. These frames are generally known by the name of Ward's Cases, and may be seen in almost every large town, constructed of every shape and size, according to the taste or means of the grower. By aid of these, any one, whether inhabiting the most humble or the most splendid dwelling, provided it be freely exposed to the sun's light, has it in his power to cultivate a miscellaneous collection of plants, at an expense so trifling, as to be within the reach of the most moderate circumstances. One of these cases, of a very complete structure, is represented, with its collection of plants, in the figure on next page. On the stand or table is a strong box, lined with zinc or lead, and filled with well-moistened loamy soil, underlaid by a thin subsoil of turfy loam, and this resting on a porous stratum of gravel, or broken earth

enware. This composition is meant to represent a natural fertile soil, which it does to perfection, the water lodging among the gravel till

the wants of the plants in the superior mould require it. Over this box is placed a close-fitting glass-cover which completes the apparatus. The lighter and thinner the glass frame, and the finer the glass, the better are the plants exposed to view, and the more readily do they receive the sun's light. This plot of soil, with its glazed framework of air above it, forms a little world of itself, in which the plants grow and flourish. When the moisture of the soil within is vaporised by the heat of the sun, it collects on the inside of the glass, and trickles down again whenever the air without the frame has become cooler than that within, so that the plants are never subjected to irregular or capricious watering, while their own respiration and decomposition of water afford them nearly all the atmosphere they require. The case, however, is not absolutely air-tight; if it preserves a certain regular amount of moisture, warmth, and air, while it excludes dust, soot, smoke, and other noxious fumes, it does all that is required. It must be evident that a Ward's Case may be of any size or shape. It may be made like a lantern or bell-glass, to cover a single plant, or large enough to become a domestic conservatory.

Cases of the kind described may be used either for indoor or outdoor culture; and answer as well for a little front-plot, or back-court, as for a drawing-room. They can be also conveniently put up in balconies, or even over the entire window, so that the panes may serve for one side of the conservatory. Many such are now to be seen in our large towns, even in the smokiest and least inviting quarters. This sort of double window, if we may so speak, is admirably adapted for tall plants and flowering shrubs, or for suspending pots, and is altogether a very pretty annexation to a dwelling. Lofty and partially close cases of this sort are fitted for almost every species of green-house plant; but the moistened and shaded atmosphere of a small and closely-fitted case is destructive to many kinds of flowering plants. Plants of a succulent nature, and especially those having fleshy leaves, like the cactus and aloe, and all natives of damp and shady situations, grow and bloom in them to perfection. Among these are many lovely and rare plants, which will amply repay the attention of the case-grower; such as different kinds of melocactus, mammillaria, echinocactus, opuntia, epiphyllum,

rhipsalis, cereus, and other plants of cactaceous genera; aloe, cycas, side-saddle flower, Venus's fly-trap, sun-dew, nepenthes, lycopodium, &c., all remarkable either for the beauty or peculiarity of their habits and structures.

Rare exotics need not be sought after for an enclosed case. 'The plants to furnish it,' says Mr Ward, 'can be procured abundantly in the woods in the neighbourhood of London. Of these I will

mention a few. The common ivy grows most beautifully, and can be trained over any part of the case, agreeably to the pleasure of the owner. The primroses, in early spring, will abundantly repay the labour of fetching them, continuing for seven or eight weeks in succession to flower as sweetly as in their native woods. So likewise does the wood-sorrel, the anemone, the honeysuckle, and a host of other plants, independently of numerous species of mosses and of ferns. Some of these latter are more valuable than others, in consequence of the longer duration of their fronds, such as Lastraa dilatata, and its numerous varieties. There are likewise many cultivated plants procurable at little or no cost, which grow without the slightest trouble, such as the Lycopodium denticulatum, the common musk-plant, myrtles, jasmines, &c. All the vacant spaces in the case may be employed in raising small salads, radishes, &c. ; and I think that a man would be a bad manager who could not, in the course of a twelvemonth, pay for his case out of its proceeds. These remarks apply chiefly to situations where there is but little solar light. Where there is more sun, a greater number and variety of flowering-plants will be found to thrive, such as several kinds of roses, passion-flowers, geraniums, &c., with numerous beautiful annuals-namely, Ipomea coccinea, the species of Nemophila, Convolvulus, and a host of others: the vegetation, in fact, can be diversified in an endless degree, not only in proportion to the differing degrees of light and heat, but likewise by varying the quantity of moisture; thus, with precisely the same aspect, ferns and bog-plants might be grown in one case; and aloes, cactuses, mesembryanthemums, and other succulent plants in another.'

Bulbous-rooted plants are sometimes cultivated as ornaments of apartments by merely placing the bulbs in glasses made for the purpose, and filled with water. Roots are soon sent down into the water, and, seen through the clear glass, add to the beauty of the whole. Rain-water is better for this purpose than spring-water. As the roots ought never to be disturbed, the water ought not to be changed, but a little is added from time to time as it is required. A piece of charcoal may be placed in the water, to purify it from the organic matter which it derives from the plant. The glasses ought to be kept in a dark, cool place till the bulbs have sent out roots, and even till the flowering stem begins to be developed, after which full light and air are requisite. The same bulbs, however, cannot be treated in the same way, with success, even for a second year;

whilst, if planted among earth in flower-pots, they might succeed pretty well with proper care for a number of years. The bulb most commonly planted in water is that of the oriental hyacinth, one of the most frequent and delightful ornaments of our apartments in winter and early spring, esteemed for its fragrance no less than its beauty; but others, also to be readily obtained in the florists' shops, are often cultivated in the same way, as the polyanthusnarcissus, tulips, crocuses, snowdrops, &c. Single hyacinths are generally better than double ones. They are more early, more hardy, and not less beautiful. In selecting the bulbs, it is proper to

The above is a suggestive example of indoor gardening during the winter months. The jardinet is made of pottery, by Messrs Barr and Sugden of Covent Garden, London, and costs, when filled with bulbs, from 30s. to 355. There are, besides, other cheaper kinds, such as the Alexandra Rustic, the Rustic Robin, and Ne Plus Ultra Jardinets, with prices ranging from 12s. 6d. to 18s. 6d. The form of the Prince of Wales Jardinet is circular, with all the irregularity of an old, gnarled stump, and is composed of three tiers, each of which is filled with assorted bulbs, as hyacinths, narcissus, tulips, crocuses, snowdrops, &c. The bulbs are planted thickly and irregularly, which secures a succession of floral beauty without destroying the general effect. In planting their jardinets, Messrs Barr and Sugden use a preparation of cocoa fibre and charcoal, which they overlay with a carpet of fresh green moss. It ought to be added, that ferns can be associated with bulbs in jardinets. For the above description and illustration we are indebted to The Queen, the Lady's Newspaper.

notice their weight, as heavy and solid bulbs are the best. Expensive bulbs are seldom preferable on any other account than the mere rarity of the kind. Tulips and crocuses grow well if planted among moss, which is to be kept moist; and in this way a large flower-pot may exhibit a rich display of them. Many other bulbous-rooted