60 On the General Care of Plants 



the plants and raises a soft moist atmosphere in which 

 they delight. This you will clearly understand if you 

 have noticed how refreshed everything in nature looks 

 after a summer shower, and how robustly everything 

 grows in showery summer weather. As I told you 

 before, the leaves and stalks of plants have innumerable 

 little pores all over their surface, through which they 

 inhale moisture from the air around. Now this damping 

 of your little greenhouse is like giving the plants a 

 pleasant draught which they drink up greedily. Of 

 course this is summer treatment ; during spring and 

 autumn it is seldom necessary, as the days are so much 

 cooler. 



About half an hour or more after syringing open the 

 top airing an inch or so ; an hour after that, open it 

 half up, and by ten or eleven o'clock you will be able 

 to lift it up full, and if the day is very sunny draw 

 down your blind then. At midday open the front 

 airing for two hours or so. Front airing however need 

 not be given in dull days, and never during spring or 

 autumn, but when the sun is very hot. The front 

 airing should be taken off about 2 o'clock or as soon 

 as the full glare of the sun is past. When the sun is 

 slanting from the west draw up the blind and reduce 

 the top airing half. Then a little before sunset shut 

 it off, except half an inch to allow the exit of steam 

 which will arise, for you have now to water your plants 

 if they are dry and then syringe again as you did in 

 the morning. The half inch of air may be taken off at 

 bedtime. During very warm summer weather it is 

 better left on all night to keep the plants cool. This 



