Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-12-23
House Plants.

There is widespread and plausible
opinion in the community that plants in
houses are unhealthy This opinion orig
inally started in the dictum of certain
savants, who professed to have ascertained
that plants had a two-fold system of respir-
alton, by one of which carbonic acid was
taken from the air, and oxygen liberated
during the daytime, and by the action of
the sun, whilst by the other oxygen was
taken from the air and carbonic acid was
exhaled during the night time 1t having
peen noticed, also, by some purblind OBJ
server, that sickness occurred in houses in
winch plants were kept, the supposed fact,
and the actual fact were made to assume
the relation of cause and effect; and
stralghtWay 1t was announced that because
plants exhaled carbonic acid at night they
were poisonous and should be excluded
from dwellings, and especially from bed
rooms.
Miss Nightingale, in her excellent Notes
on Nursing, says; Another extraordinary
fallacy is the dread of night air. What
air can we breathe at night but night air ~
so we might ask of this bugbear of noxious
effects of plants at night: What are dwell
ers IN the country to do for air not poison.
ed by the rbon-breathing vegetation
with which they are surrounded? And
why is 1t that we do not all die off in the
summer nights when these horrid plants
must be exhaling such volumes of carbonic
acid?
Recent observers have demonstrated
that, although there is a period of repose
In the life of the plant similar to our own
nightly repose, and that during this re.
pose, or sleep, the liberation of oxygen is
not SO active as during the day, yet no per-
eeptible production of carbonic acid takes
place during the entire nascent or growing
day.
Unfortunately, plausibility has been
given to the popular delusion by the un.
doubted fact that some injudicious lovers
of Horticulture have been more careful of
their horal treasures than of the roses and
lilies on their own cheeks and by an un-
wise sollcitude for the blooming of some
pet specimen, have neglected or prevented
proper ventilation of their apartments lest
the plants should suffer OF course. it is
not pretended that hot-house temperature
Is the one for human being; and if one
cannot have window full of shrubs and
flowers without excluding the fresh air,
better let the plants go.
But by growing plants as Wilkie mixed
his colors-"With brains, sir p'-both ends
may be attained, and the choice of half,
hardy and hardy shrubs and bulbous plants
and vines is wide enough to make any
window blossom like. the rose, in a temper
ature and with ventilation thorough
enough for the most radical hygienist.
If, however, these claims were of a neg.
ative character merely, or if even they were
to the educational and aesthetic
aspects of the case, we doubt if we should
occupy our columns with this appeal. But
for the past dozen orfifteen years, beginning
With Mauy's experiments with the sun,
lower as preventive of fevere and 'aQue.
he evidence has been aecumulating that |
plants in general, and certain ones more |
han others, are conducive to health and |
corrective of disease Maury, while in |
.harge of the National Observatory at
Washington, preserved the health of his 1
amily and redeemed the character Of the
lalariops region by culuvating broad belts
y sunnowers around the grounds; and
hose who came to laugh at iirst for Ills 7
trange taste, remained TO thank him sub.
for his lesson. The terrible
Tastes OF the Campagna, outside of Rome,
re being rendered habitablS by tho cult.