WINDOW GARDENING. 



299 



Small bouquets for the hand soou fade if no effort is made to give them mois- 

 ture ; but a wrapping of a bit of wet cotton batting or a few wet threads of can- 

 dle wicking, fastened lightly about the ends of the stems, will suffice to keep 

 them in good condition several hours in a close, hot atmosphere. Those who do 

 not like the formalitj^ of a bouquet holder, which this plan necessitates, can take 

 a small vial — such as are used to hold medicine of homceopathists — partly fill it 

 with water, and place the flower stems therein ; and then cover the vial by tying 

 a ribbon around it, just as they would the bare stems of a nosegay. Flowers 

 used in decorating the hair and the 

 dress can be kept bright and fresh 

 in the same way. 



If flowers are to be transported 

 any distance after they are cut, they 

 should be placed carefully in a tight 

 box or case. If the box is not per- 

 fectly air tight, furnish it with a layer 

 of damp moss or cotton batting. 



When going for wild flowers, carry 

 a tightly closing tin box, in which 

 is a piece of wet, coarse sponge, and 

 a basket. The smaller flowers are 

 to be shut in the box. The sponge 

 is laid in the bottom of the basket, 

 and the stems of the larger flowers 

 inserted in its pores. By so doing, 

 even the most delicate can be brought 

 home without withering. 



Handsome wall decorations may 

 be made by cutting long branches of 

 ivy, clematis, woodbine, honeysuckle, 

 or climbing roses, inserting a few 

 inches of their stem in a bottle of 

 rain water, and hanging the bottle 

 behind a picture or a mirror, over 



and about which the flowers will Fig. so. Decorative Bird Cage for the house. 



bloom and the foliage flourish for many weeks, to the admiration of all be- 

 holders. 



The beauty of so many flowers — hot house flowers especially — is tarnished by 

 sprinkling. When they are drooping, it is best to try first a change to a cooler 

 or a more airy department, and a double portion of ammonia added to their 

 water ; this frequently revives them very quickly. 



