SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 389 



in the house, as will also the hyacinths, tulips, narcissus and lilies, also lily of 

 the valley. These bulbs must be potted in rich, sandy soil. Hyacinths must not 

 be covered with the soil ; let at least one-fourth of the bulb show itself above 

 the soil. Tulips should be covered lightly, as also the others. After potting 

 give a little water and set in a dark, cool place for about three weeks, then 

 bring into the light. The tops will not have grown much, but the bulbs will 

 have made roots. Care must be taken that these bulbs are not kept too warm 

 at first. If possible, keep them in a bedroom or parlor where they will not 

 freeze and vet be warm. — Chattel Bella in Post and Tribune. 



KEEPING FLOWERS. 



A great deal has been written on the preservation of cut flowers, but the 

 matter is still imperfectly understood by most people. It is important to know, 

 not only how to take care of them after being cut, but how to cut them. On 

 this latter point a practical hint may be of service to our readers. It might 

 not occur to them that it made any serious difference whether the stems were 

 broken off or cut with a knife or scissors. A sharp knife is the right tool for 

 the purpose, as it leaves the sap vessels of the stems open for the absorption of 

 water, while scissors crush and compress these vessels so that their absorptive 

 power is more or less destroyed. Like injury may be done in breaking off the 

 stems, especially if they are tough. If the flowers are put into water immedi- 

 ately the ends of the stems should be cut off with a sharp knife, as the sap ves- 

 sels will probably have become clogged up with coagulated matter. 



Cut flowers often suffer from too dry atmosphere. It is difficult to avoid this 

 in our artificially-heated rooms, but we may at least put the blossoms in the 

 coolest part of the room. Near a window, and especially in a bay-window, the 

 temperature is generally several degrees lower than in other parts of the room, 

 as you will see if you will test it with a thermometer. The best authorities say, 

 moreover, that the flowers should have the benefit of light, and even of sun- 

 shine in most cases, though there is popular prejudice against exposing them 

 to the latter. On the other hand they suffer, as plants do, from draughts and 

 from sudden alterations of temperature. 



Botany also furnishes us useful hints for prolonging the life of many single 

 flowers. This may be done by removing the anthers, for when the pollen on 

 these becomes ripe the stigma gets impregnated, and the flower having fulfilled 

 its natural destiny, drops its petals and withers. In the case of blossoms that 

 fall to pieces very easily, it is a good idea to let fall a drop of gum or mucilage 

 into the centre, which will glue the petals together at the base. To prevent 

 this from running out, before it hardens, the flowers should be kept upright by 

 putting their stems through the bottom of a sieve or sticking them in sand. 

 With the aid of a camel-hair brush or a pointed stick a large number of flow- 

 ers may be gummed in a short time. 



When flowers have been carried a long distance in close boxes or cases, they 

 often appear withered and worthless, but with proper treatment they may be 

 revived and restored to their original beauty. Instead of being at once put into 

 vases and exposed to the hot and dry air of the parlor, they should either be 

 spread out on wet flannel or moss and covered with a dish cover or an inverted 

 box, or else put in pans containing moss and water or wet sand, in which they 

 can be set upright, and then shut up in the dark for a few hours. If they do 

 not regain their freshness under this nursing, there is no hope for them; but 

 in all ordinary cases their recovery is certain. — Journal of Chemistry. 



