opened, and hung up, with their heads downwards, 
till quite dry, and their beauty will continue for 
several years. 
The seed should be sown early in the spring ; or 
if sown about Midsummer, the young plants will 
generally survive the winter and blossom early. 
The number of flowers which preserve their 
beauty when dried is, indeed, very small. Many 
attempts have been made to preserve the common 
sorts with their true colours and forms unimpaired, 
but, as far as we know, without much success. If 
the less succulent sorts are gathered when perfectly 
dry, then set upright in boxes, and clean dry sand 
carefully poured amongst them till they are cover- 
ed, they may be laid by in a warm room and their 
shapes will be preserved, but very few will retain 
their colours. 
The following method also has been recommend- 
ed. Put the flowers into a wide-mouthed glass 
bottle, and close it by tying oil- cloth firmly over the 
top of it. Then take a box sufficiently large to 
hold the bottle in the centre, and admit a bed of the 
following composition at least four inches thick to 
surround every part of the bottle. The composition 
is as follows. 
One part Salt-petre. 
Two parts Bole ammoniac. 
Three parts clean common sand. 
These are to be well rubbed together previously 
to their use, and the box containing the whole is to 
be deposited in a dry cellar ; and, it is said, they 
will thus continue through the winter quite perfect 
and fresh. 
Hort. Kew. 2, v. 5. 24. 
