A WATER BOUQUET, 269 



glass until it is upright, and then it can be lifted 

 out and placed on a table in a window where 

 the sun or bright light will reach it. The bubbles 

 of oxygen will begin to form in a few hours, 

 and the jewelled effect of the bouquet will be 

 very curious and lovely. 



It will only last two days ; after that time the 

 water becomes cloudy, and decay begins. The 

 flowers and greenery should be perfectly dry, and 

 the water fresh and clear, and then, with a little 

 dexterity, the experiment cannot fail. The re- 

 markable beauty of a water bouquet, with its 

 empearled leaves and flowers, surprises all who see 

 it for the first time. 



The fleeting flower of the night-blowing Cereus, 

 which opens in the evening and usually closes in 

 ten or twelve hours, can be preserved for double 

 that time by placing it in water under a glass 

 shade as I have described. Any flowers may be 

 used for the purpose, but the best effect is 

 obtained when only a few blossoms are grouped 

 together, and plenty of space is left around them. 



