PLANT. 



prevent evaporation, and may be painted to 

 represent any description of wood; a hole or 

 holes should be left in the bottom, through the 

 zinc and board, to carry off any extra water, if 

 you find there is too much for the health of the 

 plants enclosed. At the upper edge of the box 

 a groove is sunk to receive the lower edge of 

 tin- -^lass roof, which rests tightly upon it. 



'I'd-- frame-work cover should be glazed with 

 good glass, with a door on one side made to fit 

 close, and which may be opened to remove dead 

 branches, for trimming, and the addition or sub- 

 traction of plants. Along the top of the roof, 

 hooks or brass rods may be placed, from which 

 small pots maybe suspended with brass wires; 

 twine will soon decay in the continued damp- 

 ness. The whole of the frame-work should be 

 well fitted, so as to preclude, as far as possible, 

 all interchange between the air in the case, and 

 that in the room. 



Lay the bottom of the box with pieces of 

 broken earthenware, as an open subsoil. Next 

 lay a stratum of turfy loam, one inch deep, and 

 fill in the remainder of the space with soil, 

 composed of equal portions of peat and loam, 

 mixed with about one-twentieth part of rough 

 white sand, free from iron. The artificial gar- 

 den plot is now ready to receive the plants. 

 Plant these in the usual manner, and then 

 shower over them, with a fine rose watering- 

 pot, sufficient water to saturate the soil, till the 

 liquid begins to run off by the opening in the 

 bottom. After draining thus for 24 hours, cork 

 up the hole or holes, place the glass case on 

 the box, and the operation will be finished. 



The most remarkable part in the economy 

 of the case, thus closed up, is the preservation 

 of atmospheric purity. To all who reflect, for 

 the first time, on this subject, it will seem in- 

 comprehensible how the plants can possibly 

 thrive and blossom, without the occasional in- 

 terchange of fresh air with the atmosphere. 

 This certainly does appear extraordinary, yet 

 it is ascertained by experiment, that no such 

 reinvigoration is requisite ; to account for the 

 phenomenon it will be necessary to explain the 

 constitution of atmospheric air, and the means 

 adopted by nature for its purification. 



Air consists of three gases in close me- 

 chanical union, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbonic 

 acid, in the proportions of about 79 of nitrogen, 

 20 oxygen, and 1 of carbonic acid, in 100 parts 

 of pure air. In this mixed composition, the 

 essential element for the support of respira- 

 tion in both animals and plants, and also for 

 combustion, is the oxygen, the nitrogen being 

 little else than a diluent to modify the strength 

 of the oxygen. It was long believed by men 

 of science, that plants possessed the power of 

 exuding oxygen, and so formed a prime agent 

 for restoring vitiated air to purity. Later in- 

 vestigations, however, by French chemists, 

 have made it evident that plants have no such 

 power, unless when placed under the influence 

 of the sun's rays, or, in other words, that solar 

 light is the grand cleanser of the atmosphere, 

 and without which, both plants and animals 

 languish and die. With respect to plants in 

 particular, it is ascertained, that while inhaling 

 oxvgen, and expiring carbonic acid, their leaves 

 no r ,sess the remarkable property, in conjunction 

 802 



PLANT. 



with the sun's light, of retransformin g; the car- 

 bonic acid into oxygen. At night, when the 

 light of day has departed, the expired carbonic 

 acid may be detected in the neighbourhood of 

 plants,,and hence, one cause of injury to health 

 by breathing night-air; but when the morning 

 sun again bursts upon the scene, a great che- 

 mical process commences in the atmosphere: 

 the carbonic acid is decomposed, oxygen is 

 evolved, and all nature rejoices in re-creation 

 of its appropriate nourishment. 



A question will here readily occur What 

 species of plants are best adapted for these do- 

 mestic green-houses ] This has been answered 

 ably by Mr. Ellis, in a paper read before the 

 Edinburgh Botanical Society in 1839. Accord- 

 ing to this gentleman's statement, the plants 

 most suitable are "those which partake largely 

 of a cellular structure, arid possess a succulent 

 character, and especially those which have 

 fleshy leaves ; whilst on the contrary, the con- 

 tinued humidity is unfavourable to the deve- 

 lopement of flowers of most exogenous plants, 

 except such as naturally grow in moist and 

 shady situations." Plants, therefore, which 

 grow naturally, and bloom in cavernous and 

 moist situations, or in moist and warm cli- 

 mates, are best adapted for these cases ; within 

 this class of vegetables there are many beauti- 

 ful and luxurious plants, which it would be no 

 small pleasure to contemplate. We name but 

 a few which have eminently succeeded. A 

 specimen of this mode of culture may be seen 

 in the possession of Mr. J. J. Smith, Jr., Libra- 

 rian of the Philadelphia Library, which is emi- 

 nently successful. 



Crocuses, and winter aconite; joy; lycopo- 

 dium ; the various cactuses ; aloes ; primroses ; 

 the fairy roses ; begonias ; all the ferns ; ane- 

 mone ; musk plants ; myrtles ; jasmines, &c. 



All the vacant spaces in the case may be 

 employed in raising salads, radishes, &c. ; 

 " and I think," says Mr. Ward," " that a man. 

 would be a bad manager who could not, in the 

 course of a twelvemonth, pay for his case out 

 of its proceeds." 



Sir W. J. Hooker, in a letter to Mr. Ward, 

 says, " Splendid as is the hot-house and green- 

 house collection at Woburn Abbey, I doubt 

 whether that gives more pleasure to the noble 

 proprietors and their numerous visitors than 

 the beautiful little collection in Mr. Ward's 

 case, that occupies a table in the library, and 

 flourishes without requiring the skill of the 

 gardener in its cultivation." Once properly 

 watered, these cases have remained for seven 

 years without any additional moisture. 



The uses to which this discovery of Mr. 

 Ward's has led, are important to man ; espe- 

 cially so in the transmission of plants from 

 one country to another by sea. So admirably 

 does it answer to thus enclose plants for sea- 

 voyages, that few instances of failure have oc- 

 curred in their transmission, where care has 

 been taken to renew the glasses, if broken, and 

 to expose the cases to the action cf the sun's 

 rays on deck in fine weather. But, 3ven more 

 important than this, it will enable the chemist 

 to make observations strictly comparative oix 

 j the effects of different soils, manures, &c. ; to 

 i determine the powers possessed by plants of 



