302 General JVolices. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art, I. General Notices. 



Preserving floioers fresh for a long period. — The following plan 

 is recommended for preserving flowers in a fresh state for sonic 

 time: — Procure a flat dish of porcelain, into which pour water suf- 

 ficient to nearly fill it: in the water place a vase of flowers: over 

 the vase place a bell-glass, with its rim in the water. This is similar 

 to a "Ward's case" in principle, although different in construction. 

 The air that surrounded the flowers being confined beneath the bell- 

 glass, was constantly moist with the water that rose into it in the 

 form of vapor. As fast as the water was condensed, it ran down 

 the sides of the bell-glass back into the dish; and if means had 

 been taken to enclose the water on the outside of the bell-glass, so 

 as to prevent its evaporating into the air of the sitting-room, the 

 atmosphere around the flowers would have remained continually 

 damp. This plan is designated by the editor as the "Hopean ap- 

 paratus," under which name he will refer to it again. Those who 

 wish to try the experiment on a small scale, may do so by inserting 

 a tumbler over a rose-bud, in a saucer of water. (Gard. Chron., 

 1842, p. 315.) 



Cultivation of choice kinds of Petunias. — Early in September, 

 the cuttings should be put into 60 sized pots [No. 1,] and placed 

 in the front of a hot-bed until they have struck root, which will be 

 in three or four weeks: they may then be removed into the green- 

 house. Early in February, they should be shifted into 48 sized pots 

 [No. 2,] in a mixture of sandy peat, leaf mould, and loam, and 

 repotted as fast as the pots become full of roots, using an inch and 

 a half of small charcoal for drainage. During the time they are 

 growing in pots, they should be watered two or three times a week 

 with warm water; and the latter end of May, they may be turned 

 out into the flower garden. The soil which suits them best is a 

 light rich loam, mixed with well decomposed dung. They form 

 splendid objects, when planted on the lawn and trained to a wire 

 trellis or stake, of any shape which may be agreeable. {Id., 1842, 

 p. 316.) 



Gas Tar for Gravel Walks. — Gravel walks may be kept free 

 from worms and weeds, by coating the first layer of material (sup- 

 posing it to be of either stone or rubbish, from six to twelve inches 

 deep,) with a wash of gas tar and water, in the proportion of half 

 a gallon of the tar to a large water-pot of the water. It is to be 

 api)lied with the rose on the pot, and kept well stirred. After put- 

 ting another layer of rubbish or drift, or a coat of coarse gravel 

 about two inches thick, apply another lotion of gas tar water, which 

 need not be quite so strong as in the former application. The writ- 

 ter states that he has never been troubled with either weeds or 

 worms, and has used only the above means to guard against them. 

 [Id., 1842, p. 818.) 



