I made an experiment upon a house-plant. It had been standing for
several weeks in a southern window, and was just beginning to
blossom. The flowers and leaves were particularly rich and
beautiful. I removed the plant to a shelf on the rear wall of the
room, and then holding the newspaper near it, found every word quite
legible.
In forty-eight hours the delicate tints began to grow a little dim.
In six days, flower and leaf were drooping; in two days more, the
petals began to fall away; in two weeks from the beginning of the
experiment, the leaves were yellow, and many of them had fallen.