30-4 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
script of the author, to use in the Agriculturist, 
or in such manner as we chose. What we may 
publish upon these matters are with Mr. Peter¬ 
son’s articles as a basis, to which will be added 
such information as can be gathered from other 
sources, as well as the results of our own ex¬ 
periments. The two leading- methods of treat¬ 
ing flowers (excepting the so called everlast¬ 
ings), to dry them in their natural form 
and colors, is by the use of sulphurous acid, 
and by drying in sand. As the last named 
method is a very old one, and is likely to be 
more generally known than the other, we give 
the sulphur process first. When sulphur is 
burned, the well known suffocating fumes 
of sulphurous acid (SO-,) are produced; 
the bleaching properties of this are well 
known, it being used for whitening straw, 
and other materials; 
it also has the pro¬ 
perty of preventing the 
decay of vegetable sub¬ 
stances, and it has been 
found that certain flow¬ 
ers, after they have been 
thoroughly exposed to 
the sulphur fumes, 
will dry and preserve 
their proper forms, and 
though the action of the 
sulphur destroys their 
colors,these will be after 
awhile for the most 
part regained. The 
apparatus required for 
this operation is very 
simple—a tight box, 
with an arrangement for 
suspending the flowers, 
and a vessel to hold a 
few coals upon which 
the sulphur is burned. 
Any box, if sufficiently 
large and tight, will an¬ 
swer. One about three 
feet each way is best 
for large operations, 
but one only two feet 
square will answer. If 
not tight, the box must 
be made so by pasting 
paper over every crack 
and opening, as the 
success of the opera¬ 
tion depends upon con¬ 
fining the sulphur fumes 
as closely as possible. 
The whole top of the 
box may open, in which 
case it may be necessary 
to place a damp cloth 
between the edges of the box and the lid, and 
weight the lid down with stones to make a 
close joint. Cleats are nailed to the inside of 
the box, an inch or two below the edge, upon 
which rest the ends of light sticks, upon which 
to hang the flowers. The flowers are tied to¬ 
gether in bunches of two to four, according to 
their size; then each two bunches are tied to¬ 
gether in such a manner that they can be hung 
upon the cross-sticks. Having prepared the 
flowers, and placed them on the sticks, they are 
ready for the sulphur. Any old iron vessel 
will answer for a fire-pan, or a flower-pot, with 
its hole plugged up, and half or more filled 
with ashes, will answer as well as anything. 
Put some live charcoal in the fire-pan, set it in 
the box, and drop upon it some lumps of roll- 
sulphur. An ounce, or a little more, is suf- 
We may state here, with reference to ever¬ 
lasting flowers, that they should be cut before 
they fully expand, and tied in bunches not 
large enough to crowd one another out of 
shape, and be hung, head downward, in an airy 
room to dry. The methods of coloring these 
will be given later. 
The grasses can be dried as they come into 
perfection during the season, as they are al¬ 
ways dried preparatory to coloring and crystal- 
lyzing. Many of our native grasses are well 
worth looking after. 
--» *—— « ---- - 
The Manihot Hibiscus. 
There is found along the banks of the Mis¬ 
sissippi, and other Southern localities, a fine 
large flowered Hibiscus, 
which was at one time 
supposed to be a native, 
but is now regarded as 
an introduced plant, the 
Hibiscus Manihot. The 
plant is a native of the 
East Indies, and has 
long been cultivated in 
Europe as a greenhouse 
perennial. The stems 
are four feet or more 
high; the leaves five to 
seven-parted with long 
and narrow divisions, 
which are sometimes 
nearly a foot in length. 
The flower is similar in 
structure to that of the 
Hollyhock and others 
of the Mallow Family, 
and is six inches or 
more across; the petals 
are of a fine canary- 
yellow color, each with 
a dark brownish purple 
spot at the base, which 
forms a fine contrast 
with the yellow, and 
makes the flower quite 
showy. Like many 
other perennials, this 
will, if the seeds are 
sown early, bloom the 
first year, and it may 
be treated like an an¬ 
nual, or the roots may 
be taken up in the 
fall, and kept over win¬ 
ter in the cellar, if not 
wanted to bloom in the 
greenhouse. Of course 
it is hardy in the 
warmer States. We had long known this plant 
from herbarium specimens, and were much 
pleased to receive last year some seeds from 
Peter Henderson & Co., from which we raised 
plants which flowered abundantly the same 
season. The engraving shows the flower and 
leaf, much reduced in size. 
The Japanese Primrose.— Some of our 
florist friends think that in our article iu June, 
we did not give the Japanese Primrose, 
Primula Japonica, all the credit to which it is 
entitled, while others have called to say that 
they were glad to see the article, as it was en¬ 
tirely just. We have nothing against the Prim¬ 
rose, but we have a strong objection to the Euro¬ 
pean custom of over praising every new plant. 
fieient. As soon as the sulphur is on fire, the 
box must be closed. If the box is perfectly 
tight, the oxygen of the air will be all con¬ 
sumed, and combustion checked, before a suf¬ 
ficient quantity of sulphur-fumes have been 
formed ; to guard against this, an inch-hole is 
to be bored in the box near the bottom, and an¬ 
other in the top; these are to have corks fitted 
into them, by which they can be closed at will. 
After the box is shut, these holes are left 
open eight or ten minutes, by which time the 
box will be well filled, and the corks may be 
put in place. The box, thus closed, is allowed 
to stand for twenty-four hours. When opened, 
the flowers will be found to be bleached and 
white; they are then taken out, and hung up in 
a dry, shaded, well ventilated room. The 
flowers thus prepared are said to keep for any 
the manihot HIBISCUS.—( Hibiscus Manihot.) 
length of time, provided the air is dry; hence 
in damp weather the room where they are hung 
must be closed. When the flowers are removed 
from the box, they resume their proper colors, 
some in a few hours, and others require several 
days. The treatment to make up flowers pre¬ 
served by the sulphur-process, will be given at 
another time. The following flowers have 
been found suited to this process: China Asters; 
Larkspurs, especially the dark-blue ones ; Fuch¬ 
sias, the well-developed buds making better 
specimens than the open flowers; Roses, the 
double, well-filled sorts, except white; Golden- 
rods, all the yellow ones; Spirieas, all the red 
flowering ones ; the white Xeranthcmum annu- 
um, which, though an everlasting, does not dry 
pure white, unless treated with sulphur. This 
list will, no doubt, be considerably enlarged. 
