80 ladies’ flower gardener. 
not been ascertained. Some flowers, too, such as the crocus and 
tulip, are colored though grown in the dark. 
Light seems to be fully as essential to plants as air or heat, and 
while it acts beneficially on the upper surfaces of the leaves, it 
appears to bfe injurious to the under surfaces, at least of some 
plants; for in whatever way a plant is placed, it contrives to turn 
the upper surfaces of its leaves to the light. Professor Lindley 
is, we believe, making some experiments on this subject. 
Plants in rooms turn not only their leaves, but their branches 
to the window at which the light enters, and a plant may, by 
turning it at intervals, be made to bend successively to all sides; 
but such bendings weaken the plant, and thus it is an excessive 
or unnatural action. This turning of the plant to the light is 
always of course in proportion to the brightness of that light as 
compared with the other sides of the plant. Flowers, too, open 
their petals to the light, and close them in the dark, or in some 
cases, as in that of the crocus, when a cloud passes over the sun. 
The same flower, and also some others, will open their petals to 
the light of a lamp or candle, and close them again when that is 
withdrawn. 
It follows as a necessary consequence, that in rooms, plants 
should be placed as near the window as possible, that the win¬ 
dows should have a south exposure, and that they should be as 
seldom as possible shaded with blinds or otherwise. If placed 
at a distance from the windows, plants should be frequently 
changed, and to place them permanently on tables or man el- 
shelves is bad management. 
Air is as necessary to the health of plants as light; but air ^an 
find its way where light cannot, and therefore it requires less c?re 
from the cultivator. If the air is too close, opening the door and 
windows produces a change, the warm ai-r escaping at top, and 
cold air coming in below ; but on opening the windows of a warm 
