Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-04
Something for People who Have
Fernertes.

In these days, when ferneries are 50 common
IN many Pariors, any Information concerning
thing has made my fernery 80 mach more en-
joyable than ever before, that wish 20 give
others the benefit Of it. Everybody that has a
fernery knows how great q drawback to the
pleasure of il is the moisture which collects on
the glass in fine dew, and often wholly hides
from sight the beauties within. It occurred to
me that a continuous film of moisture, that did
not take the form OF dewdrops, would be per-
iectly transparent, and that If coald produce
inside the glass sucn film with some per ma
nence, the moisture that was constantly con-
In the MIN, and produce no cloud iness whatever.
Knowing that pure water would not adhere I'm a
MIN to the glass, but that soap-suds cling to
c mOSs surfaces with some tenacity, tried It with
easy. Remove the glass, and wash its inside
thoroughly with . strong suds made with soft
water and the incest, purest soap you have.
four out the euds, and without waiting for
the glass to drain, but it in its place az ain.
Or course few bl0tches OF foam will be left on
the glass, hut they will soon disappear Of them
water will be detected, but it does not at ali
hide the view. AS the air inside is damp and
always depositing its moisture, it prevents the
Is well known that, from changes Of tenn era-
ture and other causes, the glass, or a portion OF
1t, eomes nearly dry and free from dew for a
once thus dried. it would cease to be effective
and need renewing, but was agreeabiy surpris-
ed to find that when the dew had gathered again
the invisible particles of soap which had dried
on the glass united with it to form a new film
nearly as perfect as at first. Indeed, found
tue need of renewing at all WAS due not to the
drying 80 much as the wetting, for the dew,
which, though unseen, is constantly added tn
thesoap, dilutes it and gradually washes 1t down
the sides OF the glass, till at length it must be
reapplied. A consequence Of all this will be
that those ferneries which deposit moisture
most rapidly will need the soap the oftenest.
With mine, once . fortnight Is suffi cient. L
should judge that once q week would be often
enough in any case, but the trouble Is so little
that, necessary, one would not object 70
doing 1t oftener still. or course the glass
should be clean before the soap is applied.
and especially free from any oily substance,
or the soap will not cling. In ventilating
the fernery, it is best to take off the shade
but few moments ut time, SO that the soapy
him will have no time to dry. Indeed, my ex-
perience Ii that, soap or no SOAP, il is better
for the ferns to have the glass taken of daily
and almost Immediately replaced. Those whose
fern cases are framed can easily apply the soap
on sponge through the door, and swinging the
door back and forth half q dozen times every
morning will give the ventilation without drying
the soapy surface. One remark more Is perhaps
unnecessary, but some may be thankful for the
warning-that to handle the shade safely with
s0apy hands requires considerable care. do
not wish to be held responsible for the slipping
and crashing OF an expensive bell glass the first
time you put my suggestion into practice.-Let-
ter to Hartford Courdnt.