550 COLLECTING AND PRESERVING SPECIMENS 



a little lime. Leaves and pods may both be treated satisfactorily in this 

 manner. The pod of the " Jimson weed " or Datura Stramonium is a 

 favorite for this purpose. 



2. By chemicals. — Chloride of lime, I pound ; washing soda, 

 ^ pound. Put the soda into H pints boiling water (rain-water is 

 best) and let it thorouglily dissolve. Put the chloride of lime in a 

 large pitcher, and add same quantity of cold water. Stir well and 

 cover closely to prevent the escape of the chlorine. When the soda- 

 water is cool, pour it on the chloride of lime, stir well together and 

 cover tightly, leaving it for an hour or more. Then pour off very 

 gently the clear liquid, which must be bottled tightly. 



This solution will remove fruit-stains from white goods, and will 

 bleach any vegetable substances. When used for cotton or linen, it 

 must be considerably diluted, and the goods well rinsed afterwards. 



Waterproof Paper for Artificial Flowers. — Waterproof 

 paper, transparent and impervious to grease, is obtained by soaking 

 good paper in an aqueous solution of shellac and borax. It resembles 

 parchment paper in some respects. If the aqueous solution be colored 

 with aniline colors, very handsome paper, of use for artificial flowers, 

 is prepared. Prepared paraffin paper is now much used. 



To keep Flowers Fresh. — If cut flowers are not needed im- 

 mediately, wet them and then wrap them in paper and place in a tight 

 box in a cool place. Keep as cool as possible without freezing. 



The disagreeable odor which comes from flowers in vases is due to 

 the decay of the leaves and stems in the water. Therefore remove all 

 the lower leaves before putting flowers in vases. 



Flowers that have stood in a vase for a day or so can be greatly 

 refreshed if taken from the vase at night, thoroughly sprinkled and 

 wrapped, stems, blossoms, and all, as closely as possible in a soaked 

 cloth and laid aside until the morning. They will be much fresher than 

 if they had been left in their vases, yet will not have bloomed out so 

 much. Before thus laying them aside, and again in the morning, a bit 

 of each stem should be cut off, as the end soon hardens. This ought also 

 to be done once or twice a day, even if the flowers are kept constantly 

 in their vases. Roses that have drooped before their time — as, 

 for example, when worn on the dress — may be revived if the stems, 

 after being thus cut, are placed for ten minutes in almost boiling 

 water and then removed to cold water. 



