THE WARDIAN CASE

Australian historian Keogh explores how a humble box made of wood and glass changed the course of world history.

In 1829, British surgeon and amateur naturalist Nathaniel Ward designed a case in which living plants could be kept alive for months at a time with little or no human intervention while being transported from one continent to another. Over the next century, thousands of these boxes were crafted and sent back and forth across the ocean many times, carrying plants for agricultural purposes, scientific study, and personal enjoyment. Technologically, what came to be known as the Wardian case—though Ward never took out a patent or received any reimbursement for the invention, to his disgruntlement—was seemingly unremarkable. A wooden bottom held soil in which plants could be grown, and glass windows allowed in sunlight, prevented water loss through evaporation, and kept seawater from entering what was basically a terrarium. In this well-balanced, thoughtful account, Keogh investigates both the positive and negative impacts of the cases, which contributed to science and food production but also allowed for the spread of many invasive species, including not just the desired plants themselves, but species that hitched rides in the boxes. Ample illustrations, including some in color, add visual appeal to the book. Though some may find it overly scholarly and wonder whether what is essentially a well-designed packing box deserves quite so many pages of study, the author carefully teases out the connections between this innovation and its multiple consequences. Along the way, he introduces some colorful characters, not least the debonair homebody Ward himself, with his “pleasant and caring disposition” and knack for networking and self-promotion. Endnotes reveal the careful lengths to which Keogh has gone in his investigation and suggest many possible books for further information about the subjects he covers.

An in-depth study that will suit detail-oriented gardeners and natural history buffs.