136 HOME AND GARDEN 



in some measure in the better ways of arranging them 

 freely, with long stalks and plenty of foliage. 



One can hardly go wrong if a bunch of any one 

 kind of flower is cut with long stalks and plenty of its 

 own leafage, and especially if it is cut without carrying 

 a basket. I cannot explain why it is, but have always 

 observed that no intentional arrangement of flowers in 

 the ordinary way gives an effect so good as that of a 

 bunch held easily in the hand as flower by flower is 

 cut, and put in water without fresh arrangement. The 

 only glimmer of a reason I can see for it is that they 

 are cut of uneven lengths, and that the natural way of 

 carrying them in the hand is with the stalks fairly 

 even, and that this gives just that freedom of top out- 

 line that is so much to be desired. In the case of 

 small flowers, such as Lily-of-the-Valley and Violets, 

 that are picked into a basket and afterwards tied in 

 bunches, I find the uneven lengths of the stalks the 

 greatest help in preventing unsightly stiffness. One 

 has only to compare a bunch of long-stalked Czar 

 Violets, with the ends of the differently-lengthed stems 

 kept even, and a few leaves included in the bulk of the 

 flowers, with a shop bunch of the usual pattern, the 

 flowers tight and level, surrounded by a stiff collar 

 of leaves, to see the merit of the free arrangement. 

 When I do them for my own use, I take both flowers 

 and leaves in the hand in this free way, and put them 

 lightly, without tying, in one of those deep and heavy 

 old cut-glass finger-bowls, such as were used on their 



