136 JBotans 



Some i^lants, as a part of the mistletoe, turn from 

 the sun, avoiding it ; so do the ripened flaxseeds. 

 All pot-plants show sun-following if they are so 

 placed that one side is turned to the light and one to 

 the shadow. The leaves turn toward the sun, reach- 

 ing out their stemlets in his direction ; the shaded 

 side of the plant seems to be really bare of leafage. 

 Turn this bare side lightwards, and in a few days all 

 the leaves have swa3''ed thither ; the ivy-leafed gera- 

 nium is a good example of this, its turning is so 

 prompt and persistent. To keep pot-plants sym- 

 metrical in growth the pots should be turned reg- 

 ularly every few days unless thej^ have light equally 

 on all sides. 



Plants have a motion of water-following, as well as 

 sun-following. When a plant grows where there is 

 dryness on one side and moisture on the other, the 

 leaves and roots will be chiefly found on the water 

 side. Note how willows and alders bend over the 

 water by which they grow. For long distances tree 

 roots will strike out towards water. Water-following 

 is more common in roots, and sun-following in 

 flowers and stems. There are some few plants which 

 turn from moisture, just as there are some few which 

 turn from the sun. 



Plants, especially plant roots, will travel consid- 

 erable distances seeking earth in which to hide. This 



