1 62 The Horticulturist' s Rule- Book. 



Preserving and Printing of Flowers and Plants, continued, 

 press in the ordinary way, except that dry sand is sifted 

 over the specimen and the packet submitted to the action of 

 gentle heat for twenty-four hours. 



2. Make a varnish composed of 20 parts of powdered copal 

 and 500 parts of ether, powdered glass or sand being used to 

 make the copal dissolve more readily. Into this solution the 

 plants are carefully dipped ; then they are allowed to dry for 

 10 minutes, and the same process is repeated four or five times 

 in succession. 



3. Plants may also be plunged in a boiling solution of i 

 part of salicylic acid and 600 of alcohol, and then dried in 

 bibulous paper. But this should be very rapidly done, violet 

 flowers especially being decolorized by more than an instan- 

 taneous immersion. 



4. Red flowers which have changed to a purplish tint in dry- 

 ing may have their color restored by laying them on a piece of 

 paper moistened with dilute nitric acid (i part to 10 or 12 

 parts of water), and then submitting them to moderate pres- 

 sure for a few seconds ; but the solution must not touch the 

 green leaves, as they would be decolorized by it. 



5. With Sulphur. (Quin.) Procure a chest about 3 or 4 

 ft. square, with a small opening in the under part of one side, 

 to be closed by a bar, through which the basin containing 

 brimstone must be put into the chest ; this opening must be 

 covered inside with perforated tin, in order to prevent those 

 flowers which hang immediately over the basin from being 

 spoiled. Paper the inside to render it air-tight. When the 

 chest is ready for use, nail small laths on two opposite sides of 

 the interior, at a distance of about 6 inches apart, upon which 

 lay thin round sticks upon which to arrange the flowers ; these 

 should not be too close together, or the vapor will not circulate 

 freely through the vacant spaces around the flowers. When 

 the chest is sufficiently full of flowers close it carefully, place 

 a damp cloth on the sides of the lid, and some heavy stones 

 upon the top of it; then take small pieces of brimstone, put them 



