THE FLORAL WOKLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 117 



Isbw with ua and all animal life this order of things is reversed, for 

 we retain the oxygen and give out the carbon. Therefore, during 

 the hours of daylight the oxygen without which we could not live is 

 given out by the plants, while they retain the carbon which affords 

 them nourishment, while it would kill us if we breathed it. During 

 the day, however, dead leaves and diseased parts of plants and also 

 the flowers give out a small portion of carbon, but it has no effect 

 on the air if the plants are kept free of dead leaves and decaying 

 parts ; the great amount of leafage on a plant will absorb far more 

 carbon than the blossoms can give out. Thus you see plants in a 

 room during daylight are really a benefit instead of being otherwise, 

 since they purify the air by absorbing and removing carbon, which 

 is injurious to our health, giving out at the same time oxygen, which 

 is a necessity of our life. So much cannot be said for them after 

 daylight departs ; then the order of things is reversed, for during 

 the hours of darkness the plants absorb and retain oxygen and 

 release and give out carbon to the air ; this of necessity would be 

 injurious to our health if there were no remedy or counteracting 

 influence to nullify the bad effects. Tou can receive no harm from 

 the carbon if you leave your bedroom window a little open during 

 the night to cause a circulation of fresh air ; the least bit will do. 

 You should do this in any case during summer, for it is very bene- 

 ficial to the health of the sleepers. Or if you place the plants on 

 the floor the evil will be remedied to a great extent, for the carbon 

 which is half as heavy as common air, will fall to the floor. But 

 when we know that " we breathe out but a small quantity of carbon 

 during the hours of sleep as compared with the quantity exhaled 

 during the day," and that " the quantity of carbon given out by the 

 plants at the same time is not large," the presence of plants in your 

 bedroom at night can scarcely have any bad effect. I hope you 

 understand this clearly. It is a rather confusing statement of the 

 case, but it proves that there need be no fears of any evil effects 

 arising from having plants in your rooms, either day or night. But 

 there is one exception to the rule ; it is known that the blossoms of 

 plants give out more carbon than any other part, therefore hand or 

 table bouquets should not stand in your room during the hours of 

 Bleep. Of course you can avoid this by having them put somewhere 

 else till morniug. 



There is another question of very great importance regarding 

 having flowers in your room after daylight, that is, is it natural and 

 healthy for the plants themselves ? When night comes on and 

 brings its season of rest to us, we never consider that our poor 

 plants incline for rest too. All plants in the open air go to sleep, so 

 to Bpeak, when the hours of darkness set in. The air becomes 

 several degrees colder, soothing their strained energies, and hushing 

 them into their natural rest, which enables them to meet with 

 renewed vigour the rays of burning sunshine when day returns. 

 Now when night comes on we draw down the blinds, shut our doors 

 and windows, stir up the fire and crowd around the cheerful hearth 

 all unconscious that by keeping out the cold and raising the tempe- 

 rature of the room several degrees wo are keeping the poor plants 



April. 



