166 HOME AND GARDEN 



full at a time. If they cannot be picked over at 

 once, they are laid out, not more than three inches 

 thick, on a rough hempen wrapper about three yards 

 long by two yards wide ; if they were left in the 

 basket they would soon begin to "heat" and spoil. 

 The shady, paved garden-court on the north side of 

 the house is the chosen place, and the Rose-cloth is 

 spread where the broad passage upstairs overhangs, 

 so that we can sit below in shelter even in rain. 

 Then at the earliest opportimity the Rose petals 

 are pulled off their hard bases, and carefully sifted 

 through the fingers so as to sepai'atc them as much 

 as possible. Sometimes visitors are pressed into the 

 service, sometimes the little nieces come down from 

 their home close by, and often I go and pick them 

 over after dark in the pleasant summer evening. 

 It is just as easy to do without any light, and then 

 one enjoys all the more the wonderful fragrance 

 and the pleasant cool texture ; and plunging hands 

 or face into the mass, delicious alike to scent and 

 touch, one calls to mind how such generous measures 

 of plucked Roses played their part in the feasts of 

 ancient Rome. 



The separated petals lie on the cloth for two 

 days, or for a longer or shorter time, as the air 

 may be more or less drying, in order that they may 

 lose a part of their moisture ; how much I cannot 

 say, but perhaps half, as they look to be shrivelled 

 to about half their size ; and now they are ready 



