IN MY LADY'S GARDEN 



for many years. Collect a quantity of the petals of red 

 roses, jasmine, lavender buds, mignonette, and all manner 

 of sweet-scented flowers, and strew them in a cardboard 

 tray, sprinkling them with salt, and drying them in a 

 shady room for a week. Also pluck the leaves of lemon 

 verbena, sweetbriar, mint, rosemary, balm of Gilead, knotted 

 marjoram, sweet basil, lemon, thyme, bay, and other fragrant 

 plants, salting and drying them in the same manner. Then 

 place them in a jar with a close cover, strewing each layer 

 with the following spices, first mixed together : 2 ounces 

 each of cinnamon, cloves, pounded allspice, storax, orris-root 

 (sliced), Calamus aromaticus, gum benjamine, sandalwood 

 shavings, and a small quantity of musk (this is very 

 expensive, and may be omitted), the rind of two lemons, 

 cut thin and sliced as for marmalade, i Ib. common salt, and 

 a few drops of oil of bergamot or oil of lavender, stirring 

 the compound well together before use. More flowers and 

 leaves can be added as procurable, always drying and salting 

 them first for one week before adding them to the rest. 

 The contents of the jar should be thoroughly mixed and 

 stirred together daily for six weeks, taking care that the 

 spices do not all lie at the bottom of the jar, after which the 

 potpourri is ready for use. Half of it may be used at one 

 time with advantage, keeping the other still closed and 

 occasionally stirred, and changing the contents of the 

 jar and those of the china bowl which contains the pot- 

 pourri in use occasionally. Fresh salt may always be added, 

 also a few drops of eau de Cologne, lavender-water, or any 

 fragrant essence, if the potpourri should become too dry, 

 with lemon peel, too. The bowl should be covered at 

 night, if possible, to keep in the scent of the potpourri, 

 and prevent dust in it. 



More rose petals, lavender, sweet verbena leaves, &c., can 

 be added year by year for a long time, always drying and 

 salting them before adding them to the potpourri. 



212 



