THE ROUTE TO MADNESS

 

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Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward was a surgeon who lived in Whitechapel. In 1827 he placed a caterpillar in a glass jar to pupate and then sealed the vessel. That he had done so slipped his mind and some months passed before he looked at the jar again. He noticed that within the protected environment a small fern and some blades of grass had grown.

In 1833 the physician developed the Wardian case - a miniature sealed garden that protected plants from London s weather and pollution. He tested the effectiveness of several cases by sending them on round trips to Australia. In 1839 he published an article on his findings and subsequently a book that was entitled On The Growth of Plants In Closely Glazed Cases (1844). As a result of his work, it became possible for small plants to be shipped around the world with only peripheral rates of attrition. He appreciated its economic potential and therefore did not patent it.

The 6^th Duke of Devonshire was a leading orchid grower. He had his head gardener Joseph Paxton design a greenhouse that was 300ft. by 150ft. and up to 35ft. high. Paxton experimented with the structure s stove. He proved to be able to create a temperate climate rather than a steamy one. Most exotic orchids found the former environment to be congenial. In 1843 Queen Victoria visited the erection.

The high tax on window glass was repealed in 1845. This opened the way for the popularisation of greenhouses. In 1856 the first artificial hybrid orchid was created. Upon seeing one for the first time, Lindley exclaimed, My God! You will drive the botanists mad!

Wardian cases were in use for about a century. They stopped being used because there were concerns that they might be responsible for pathogens being transferred. In addition, air travel developed as a far faster means of transmitting plants.

Kew Gardens has one.

David Backhouse 2024