THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 391 



twenty-four hours' journey, and in most as good a condition as when first 

 packed. If u ditlicuUy occurs as to the length, the stalk should always be 

 cut, as the bloom will not stand bending. Geranium blooms are too lightly 

 set in the calyx to bear a journey, but primroses, violets, anemonies, sweet peas 

 and verbenas, tulips, mignonette, rosebuds and forget-me-nots, are all treasures 

 to use for this purpose. After unpacking a box of flowers, place the tips of 

 their stalks in boiling water, let them remain for about five minutes, remove 

 them, cut off a tip from each stalk, and put in clear, cold water. Treated in 

 this way, the most faded flowers will generally revive. 



CARNATIONS. 



Mr. Thomas Brown, near Grand Rapids, has wonderful success in growing 

 carnations. His house at this writing (January, 1883) is one mass of bud and 

 bloom. He says that his success is largely due to not following the oft repeated 

 idea that carnations must be kept in a cool atmosphere to be healthy and 

 productive of flowers. Several times when we have visited his carnation houses 

 the temperature has been almost tropical. It is no theory with him. He 

 practices this method because he succeeds in it. On the other hand '*' Croppie," 

 in the New York Tribune, says : 



During wiuter carnations are is very partial to a cool atmosphere and very 

 little water, merely suflicient to keep them from being entirely dry, and on mild 

 days give fresh air freely. They delight in moisture on the foliage, which may 

 be applied with a "rubber spray," which forces the water out in minute 

 streams almost in the form of vapor. Tie up the long shoots as they grow to 

 slender stakes, else they will be liable to break. 



WINTERING GERANIUMS. 



A good many suggestions are made as to the best way to keep geraniums in 

 winter. We have recorded some of them; however the following is new to our 

 Portfolio and is furnished by the Country Gentleman: 



A rather large and well lighted window in a cool cellar is double glazed and 

 a stand is provided on which the plants are placed so as to receive plenty of 

 light. When they are taken up in autumn nearly all the tops are pruned off, 

 but enough is left for the base of a compact form, with a small portion of the 

 young foliage, say about one-tenth or one-twentieth of the leaves of each plant. 

 They are then planted in moss in a shallow box, placing the box in an inclined 

 position or with a slope of about forty-five degrees, putting a layer of moss on 

 the lower side, then a row of the trimmed plants and another layer of moss 

 and row of plants till the box is filled. It is then placed in its position on the 

 stand in front of the window. The moss may be kept sufficiently moist by 

 showering it with a watering-pot once a month or a fortnight, as it may require, 

 a warm and dry cellar needing more frequent watering than a damp or cool 

 one. In a warm cellar the plants will make some growth duriug winter, and 

 as the leaves increase in number they will consume more moisture than at first. 

 If the cellar is quite cool they will remain nearly dormant and the slight mois- 

 ture from the moss will preserve them from drying up. 'Moss is much better 

 than damp sawdust, which in its turn is better than soil. In moss there is no 



