Ne ee eee 
Ways to Utilize Rose Petals 
pe the most satisfactory roses 
are the hardy old-fashioned sorts that 
bloom all summer long. Although they 
have not the slender elegance of some of the 
newer varieties, there is something won- 
drously sweet about the old “Pink Daily” 
and “ Hundred Leaf.” They have a warm 
perfume that more developed roses have not. 
First of all, every morning gather the 
petals of all the roses which are ready to 
fall, also snip off the seed pod; this insures 
more blooms. Dry the petals carefully in 
an unused room, where they can have air 
but no sun. They must be spread out on 
papers, and if the weather should be damp, 
they must be shaken occasionally, or they 
may mold. Dried rose petals make delicious 
sachets for dresser drawers, and a thick 
layer of them may be quilted in a cheese- 
cloth cover and laid in the bottom of the 
drawer. A pillow of dried rose petals, 
covered with rose flowered cotton or silk 
stuff is a charming addition to the couch. 
Pot-pourri is perhaps the most popular use 
for rose petals, and every home should have a 
jar of it. This is an old-fashioned recipe 
which has come down in a Southern family 
from an English ancestress, and was copied 
from her quaint ‘‘ Book of Worthy Recipes.” 
Measure out a liberal half peck of sweet 
rose petals. Pack them in a bowl in layers, 
with salt between each layer, using a small 
handful of salt to three of rose petals. Let 
them stand for five days stirring them twice 
daily. Then add to them three ounces of 
powdered allspice and one ounce of stick 
cinnamon. Let this mixture stand a week, 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
stirring it once daily. Now put the prepara- 
tion in the permanent jar, mixing with the 
rose leaves one ounce allspice, half a pound 
of dried lavender blossoms, one ounce 
bruised cloves, one ounce stick cinnamon, 
one nutmeg coarsely grated, half a cup of 
ginger root thinly sliced, half an ounce of 
aniseed, ten grains of Canton musk of the 
finest quality, and two ounces of orris root. 
Stir all these ingredients together. Add 
at any time a few drops of attar of roses or 
a few drops of any essential oil or extract of 
flowers. The addition of a little ambergris 
gives a lasting quality to the scent, but, adds 
the writer, if you make the pot-pourri fresh 
each summer the ambergris is not needed. 
Another use of rose petals has all the 
charm of tradition to commend it. This 
is the making of rose-beads, with which the 
earliest rosaries were made, and from which 
comes their name. You should have at 
least half a peck of fragrant rose petals. 
Pound these in a mortar until they are 
mashed to a pulp. One ingenious woman 
puts them through her food- chopper a 
couple of times and says the effect is the same. 
After they are quite pulpy, let the mass 
stand in the mortar, and on the second day 
pound again and stir several times during 
the day. Repeat this the third day, when 
it should be a soft black mass and quite 
smooth if the work has been properly done. 
Crimson Rambler rose flowers on the wood it 
made in the previous year. Cut back severely just 
after flowering to get wealth of bloom next year 
Crimson Rambler; March; before pruning 
It was cut back severely 
And made a growth like this during the year 
Jury, 1908 
Have ready a sheet of thick cardboard or 
a wide, thin piece of soft wood. Form the 
mass into beads, rolling in the hands into 
balls of any desired size, but being careful 
to keep them very round. Stick a heavy 
pin through each bead, and stick the pin 
into the cardboard, so that the bead is held 
free to dry. Let the beads remain until 
thoroughly dried and hardened. 
Candied rose-petals are a luxury if one 
buys them at the confectioners’, but made 
at home they are both inexpensive and good. 
Have the petals perfectly fresh and dry. 
Melt in a saucepan one cupful of 
granulated sugar with one-half cupful 
boiling water. Let it boil a little until it 
is crisp and brittle when dropped into cold 
water. Add quickly enough red coloring 
matter to make it a pretty pink shade, and 
one drop of attar of roses. Drop in the 
petals, press them under the surface of the 
syrup for an instant, then separate and stir 
with a silver fork until the syrup sugars. 
Lift out and shake the petals, then spread_ 
on an inverted sieve to dry. It will not be 
easy at first, because it requires a deft and 
light touch, but it is worth while to try. 
The red coloring matter may be bought at 
any reliable drug store, but be sureand tell 
the druggist what you want it for. 
New York. S. K. UNDERWOOD. 
To Make the Ramblers Flower 
i Die Rambler roses need no pruning in 
the ordinary sense. When the plant has 
become matted with old canes and the wood 
so hardened that it is even difficult to make 
an impression on it with a knife, vigorous 
cutting out is esential to flowers. 
A healthy plant will send up from its base 
strong, healthy canes if those that have 
flowered are cut out immediately the flowers 
are past. These young shoots will flower 
in abundance next year. 
Rambler roses can be used in many other 
ways than tacked to the side of a building. 
They are particularly effective trained upon 
posts. I have seen them pegged down to 
the ground and other ramblers trained on 
frames, the whole when in flower giving the 
appearance of a cascade of roses. 
L. J. DoocuE. 
Mass. 
Peano Beata EOS 8g ~ ao 
PRUNING A CRIMSON RAMBLER ROSE FOR MORE FLOWERS 
