The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-02-18
HOUSE PLANTS.
THEIR EFFECT ON HEALTH.

| PLANTS.
| THEIR EFFECT ON HEALTH,
/ We are often asked, g are house plants health
ful?" To answer this will require to consider
some of the principles Of vegetable and ami
NAL physiology.
Both animals and plants are breathing things
| the one with their lungs; the other, with their
leaves; and in both, respiration has two OBJ
| jects by inspiration to take from the atmos-
phere certain things essential to their life, and
| by expiration to throw out certain effete mat
ters whose retention would be fatal to it. And
in all the wonders of creation there is scarcely
a fact more wonderful, and showing more the
loving kindness by the Creator than this, that
animal and vegetable kingdoms, in many of
their want>, recprocate each other. Thus all
animals mnst tnhale from the atmosphere gas,
called oxygen, without which they perish
while they breathe out gas-carhonic acid,
the same which arises from burning charcoal
without which they perish also. Plants as es-
seutiul 10 their life, take in this way carbonic
acid which destroys animal life, and gives out
II exchange the oxygen, which saves IL! More
concisely stated, plants and animals take from,
and give to, each other, precisely what their
wants require.
We see in these principles the injurious eff
fects, as regards health alone, of destroying our
forests; for to multiply animal life, and lessen
plant life, is TO surcharge the atmosphere with
this destructive carbonic acid, and to diminish
the vital oxygen, which vegetation would give
to il. This is no doubt a great cause of in
creased amount OF sickness and death, dispro-
portionately, as population augments; espe-
cially of those diseases involving, like con-
sumption, the breathing organs. When one
cutters grand primeyal forest, he 1eels lifted up,
-inspired as if by some mighty, invisible gem
ius OF The place; Which even, to the Druids
and kindred worshippers of old, seemed to be
the dwelling place Of God; all the benign re-
suits of the purified air, as just explained And
we have known many invaiids denizens of re-
9ions with deprayed air, restored to health,
when ali other means had failed, by the healing
power OF the woods. When TO destroy our
noble forests is moral murder, and ought to be,
when wantonly done, as often happens, leea
murder.
Woodman, spare that tree" is more than Il
touching pathos, more than thing OF tllial at
fecllon and happy memories. A tree a shrub,
and all that bears leaf, is thing both Of Joy
and life giving Spare, then, as one of our
best friends, the forest many an acre
spread wide the orchard; adorn the dwelling
with tree, shrub and flower; tor in them you
ind united the immense blessings which flow
from pecuniary profit, refined taste aud high
health giving measures.
y ct under condition house plants are in
furious to health For if they absorb carbonc
acid and give out oxygen, and thus purify the
air, as before stated, they do SO only under the
influence OF solar light i'm the dark reversing
their action, giving out this noxous carbonic
acid, and absorbing oxygen. Hence plants
should not be Kept i'll, or near sleeping g-rooms.
For the the same reason, plants and flowers
in q state Of decay, as boquets many days old,
and all cut flowers in general, are highly iniuri-
Gus 10 health; as in this state, they constant
ly, night ard day, give out those deleterious
gases. Many persons have we known to whom
the poets famous lines
''Or quick ehluva darting through the brain.
! Dle of Ii rose in aromatic pain"
are great truth as we'll as good poetry in whom
the odor Of decayog flowers produced distress
sing head ache, giddiness and nausia,-which
odor itself WAS the child Of those poisonous
gases.