498 On the Management of Plants in Rooms, 
Article XI.— On the Management of Plants in Rooms. 
By Joseph Paxton, E.L.S. & H.S., one of the Con¬ 
ductors of this Magazine. 
To treat on the proper management of Plants in Houses, is a subject 
attended with considerable difficulty, every genus requiring some va¬ 
riation both in soil, water, and general treatment. If the room where 
the plants are intended to be placed, is dark and close, but few will 
ever thrive in it;—if on the contrary, it is light and airy, with the 
windows in a suitable aspect to receive the sun, plants will do nearly 
as well as in a green-house; but if they are observed to suffer, the 
effects may generally be traced to one of the four following causes:— 
want of proper light and air,—injudicious watering,-—filthiness col¬ 
lected on the leaves,—or, in being potted in unsuitable soil. 
1st. Want of 'prog^er light and air ^—is perhaps the most essential 
point of any to be considered; for however well all other requisites 
are attended to, a deficiency in either of these, will cause the plants to 
grow weak and sickly. Let them always be placed as near the light 
us they can conveniently stand, and receive as much air as can be ad¬ 
mitted, when the weather will allow,—indeed those persons who have 
no other conveniency than the house to keep them in, will find that 
they derive immense advantage from being, during fine weather, in 
spring and autumn, turned out of doors in the evening and taken in 
again in the morning,-—the night-dews contributing greatly to their 
health and vigour. 
2nd. Injudicious watering^ —-does more injury to plants in rooms, 
than many persons imagine. To prevent the soil ever having a dry 
appearance, is an object of importance in the estimation of very many, 
they therefore water to such an excess, that the mould becomes sodden, 
and the roots consequently perish.—Others, to avoid this evil, run 
exactly into the opposite extreme, and scarcely give sufficient to sus¬ 
tain life. This however, is by no means so common a practice as that 
of giving too much; for in general, if anything appears to be the mat¬ 
ter with the plants, large doses of water are immediately resorted to, 
and if recovery is not speedy, this nostrum is again administered, with 
but little doubt of its infallible restorative powers :—but such persons, 
like an unskilful physician who gluts the weakly stomach of his patient, 
only hasten on, what they are trying to prevent. This overplus of 
water, will show its bad effects by a very dark colour and flabby dis¬ 
position of the leaves; and if the plant receives too little, the leaves 
will turn yellow, and eventually die. 
The best plan is, to always allow the soil in the pot to have the 
appearance of dryness, (but never sufficient to make the plant flag,) 
