1883.] 



171 



jlFil Jife e 



A BASKET OF GRASSES AND FLOWERS. 



Grasses, oven the most delicate, lose little 

 if any of their light, graceful appearance by 

 being carefully dried. This is best accom- 

 plished by gathering them before they have 

 reached maturity, tying in loose bunches, 

 and hanging them in a dry and dark closet 

 free from dust. The grasses will, of course, 

 fade somewhat, but will nevertheless be still 

 very handsome. The margins of streams and 

 ponds furnish many pretty, graceful varieties 

 which, when properly preserved, will be the 

 source of much pleasure. 



Ferns and Autumn 

 leaves require more at- 

 tention ; both should be 

 rapidly dried, or rather 

 pressed, between hot pa- 

 pers. Old newspapers 

 are excellent for this 

 purpose. Autumn leaves, 

 to be preserved as per- 

 fect as possible, should 

 be lightly varnished with 

 map varnish, using a flat 

 brush, or, what is sim- 

 pler and generally more 

 satisfactory, waxed. This 

 consists of spreading the 

 leaves out carefully, and 

 then going rapidly over 

 them with a hot flat- 

 iron, previously passed 

 over a piece of pure bees- 

 wax. In this way a fine, 

 thin coating of wax is de- 

 posited upon the leaves, 

 giving them a beautiful 

 glossy appearance, and 

 making their delicate 

 tints permanent. 



The bright crimson 

 leaves of the Sumach 

 prepared in this way 

 make a lovely ornament. 



Ferns are best when 

 gathered with the au- 

 tumn leaves in the fall, 

 as the sap having then 

 ceased to flow, they are 

 moro readily pressed, and 

 preserve their color bet- 

 ter. 



Cat-tails, so common 

 on margins of ponds, are 

 very popular ; these 

 should be gather^ early 

 in the season, before ma- 

 turity, as they are then 

 not so apt to "fuzz out," 

 and become more a nui- 

 sance than an ornament. 

 The pods of the Milk- 

 weed, taken a little before they burst natu- 

 rally, and opened carefully, so that a part of 

 the contents only protrudes, produce a very 

 striking decorative effect. 



Thistle-tops, also, are very showy, and can 

 be procured from any florist in endless tints j 

 and shades of color. 



The selection and proper care of the I 

 material is of course of first importance, ! 

 but success depends as much upon the taste- 

 ful and natural arrangement of the same I 



as upon anything else. An exceedingly 

 handsome basket, producing a pleasing and 

 decorative effect, — the accompanying illus- 

 tration of which we reproduce from Gar- 

 dening Illustrated, — consists of a tripod of 

 polished metal, having, a little more than 

 half way below the union of the three rods 

 and the base, a flat, circular ring firmly 

 fastened to the logs of the tripod. Into this 

 ring an ornamental wicker-basket was snugly 

 fitted, which, for the use of fresh flowers, 

 was lined with tin. 



The basket was filled with moss, and 

 " made up" of dried Grasses, Ferns, Autumn 

 leaves, Golden rods, Asters, Gentians, and 

 other wild fall flowers. As the fresh flowers 

 faded they were replaced every few days by 

 new ones, and thus the basket or stand was 



The tripod need not necessarily be com- 

 posed of metal ; neatly turned wood or nat- 

 ural sticks may be used, and any shapely 

 basket will answer the purpose. The metal- 

 lic lining may also be dispensed with when 

 fresh flowers are not used ; but it is better to 



j have some lining material within the basket, 

 for unless it is very tightly woven the moss 

 is apt to come through. Stiff packing-paper 



I or oiled canvas answers the purpose suffi- 

 ciently. 



The arrangement in all eases should be 

 light and simple, taking care to avoid crowd- 

 ing the specimens, and allowing to all suffi- 

 cient room for the drooping of the sprays, 

 which will occur when the atmosphere be- 

 comes very moist. Ike Ivy. 



ORNAM 



a source of rare beauty and much pleasure. 

 When the supply of wild flowers failed in 

 the latter part of the season, their place 

 was filled by delicate Thistle-tops, snowy 

 Milk-weed, and a few sprays of colored 

 grasses. In the spring and summer the wild- 

 wood flowers may again be utilized, and the 

 basket replenished; but the greatest pleasure 

 to be derived from such a stand is in tiie 

 winter, when the supply of natural flowers 

 lias ceased. 



A FLORAL HEARTH. 



How much pleasure 

 and enjoyment may be 

 derived from observing 

 and utilizing the many 

 natural and beautiful ob- 

 jects which may be found 

 near every country home, 

 was vividly brought be- 

 fore our mind at a recent 

 visit to a friend living 

 in the country. 



The fire-place, which 

 is usually the least at- 

 tractive and least sought 

 for spot in the parlor 

 during summer, was 

 here, in August, as bright 

 1 and cheerful as it ever 

 could have been on a 

 cold winter day, when 

 huge hickory logs upon 

 venerable andirons were 

 spreading their grateful 

 warmth through the cozy 

 ^ room, while fierce winds 

 were howling around the 

 house, and heavy snow- 

 drifts blocking up roads 

 and gate-ways. Here the 

 shrine of winter's domes- 

 tic deity — the fire-place 

 j\ — was not covered up, 

 ^ as is usually the case, 

 with stiff and tasteless 

 screens, but continued to 

 spread cheerfulness and 

 joy from its hearth-stone. 

 Clumps of tall Ferns 

 ; had been dug up with 

 - their roots and placed 

 ji around the back and sides 

 E of the open place, smaller 



^ lilli'd ill,, mi, Ml, 



■ L- ground, and dwarf spe- 



-_ cies, together with many 



other trailing and creep- 

 ing forest plants, taste- 

 fully arranged, encircled 

 the whole. Earth was shaken between 

 the roots, and all the bare spots covered 

 with green moss. A piece of bark, a rough 

 stone, and a few wild flowers, were here and 

 there appropriately introduced, giving the 

 whole so natural an appearance that one 

 might suppose the plants to be in their 

 natural homes. The choicest pictures could 

 not have imparted an air of more refinement 

 to the room, and yet the cost of its embel- 

 lishment was but a ramble through the woods. 



