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loral iaUbEiiiet utn3 fHetariul BHEaoie sBomjia-rtiaw, 
NEW YORK, MAY, 1878. 
GOOD CHEER. 
I want to tell you about our beautiful hanging-bas¬ 
ket, the charm of our country home all last summer. 
We set out a few roots of Moneywort in a little gallon 
pail, painted and pretty, and perforated in the bot¬ 
tom. It grew slowly and honestly and the vines were 
hardy. When they were about a foot long, we 
snipped off the ends with scissors, and each end sent 
out two or three new branches; when they had grown 
about another foot, we clipped them, and in turn they 
rewarded us with r.ew vines, and we did this until the 
waving mass of delicate vines hung like an airy, 
dainty drapery of green, perhaps a yard and a third in 
length. We might have continued the clipping and 
sprouting, only we feared for the one single stem of 
each that hung over the edge of the pail. 
This beautiful hanging-basket, the delight of our¬ 
selves and our neighbors, we hung on a back porch 
between two large white pillars, and it beautified the 
whole house. The doors opened from the front ver¬ 
anda, so that it came in full view from the parlor, seen 
directly through the rooms. 
The women pretended that “ that was nothing,” and 
that it merely chanced to hang there in sight of every 
caller—but, confidentially, we did it purposely. I told 
the girls when there was such a marvel of beauty 
about any one’s house, it should be made to do its 
whole duty, and give out all its usefulness. 
Poor old father don’t like “ foolish fixins,” but I 
have seen him come in from the field and wash in the 
cool water, and while he slid the comforting towel 
over his hot forehead, his eyes would rest admiringly 
on the beautiful curtain of swinging vines that made 
his cosy porch prettier than any woodland bower. We 
always placed his chair near it, and the picture of that 
white-haired old man, sitting reading, while the sway¬ 
ing vines almost touched the crown that the years had 
so gently placed upon his head, has often made the 
mist of tears bedim my eyes. 
I never had any one thing, green and growing, 
about our house whose influence was so gracious and 
so gratifying as was this marvel of a hanging-basket, 
and I hope others may secure to themselves the same 
pleasure by the same means. 
Just here I pause and look back over sentences, and 
when my eye falls on the adjective “comforting” be¬ 
fore towel, I smile and say to myself, “the women 
will think that word is far-fetched.” 
If they only knew! Well, I will tell you howl 
came to use that old grand, motherly word, “comfort¬ 
ing.” It is because our towels and bed and table 
linen are so sweet with the perfume of roses all the 
year round. Why, I can bury my face in my fresh 
pillow in the winter when the wild winds are wailing 
and sobbing without, and I can bring all the glory 
and the sweetness of the summer, with its 
“Gracious roof of gold and green” 
right into my very life. In the season of roses we 
gather them and pound the petals in an iron mortar 
until they are made almost into a paste, then we make 
this into small cakes, say a thimble full for a measure, 
roll between the palms until it resembles a marble, 
spat it out into a little cake, and dry in the sunshine 
on a plate. Turn them two or three times, and when 
perfectly dry put them in little lawn bags or pockets, 
tied up, and scatter about in trunks, wardrobes, band- 
boxes, bureaus, and wherever you desire. They will 
keep for years. We have some that was made ten 
years ago, and they are as fragrant as ever. One does 
not need to hurry in making them ; the paste will grow 
dark colored by remaining over night in the mortar, 
but it does no injury. The cakes will be brown any 
way. This is an odor that never wearies one, nor 
sickens, nor becomes old, like all others do. It is al¬ 
ways fresh, and delightful and suggestive. 
Do you women really know that the Madeira Vine 
is, par excellence, the vine ? I could not get along 
without if. Like a good dog, it “ will come when it 
is called.” I had a bushel of tubers last spring, and 
after I had sent a lot to all the women in my neigh¬ 
borhood, there were a good many left, and hating to 
throw them away, I planted them along the palings, 
inside of the garden, and let them take their chances. 
Truly, that bed of vines was my best paying bank all 
summer. They worked into every pretty thing I made 
in which a bit of living green was required. To assist 
any of you I will tell you how useful and obedient 
they are. 
To begin with, you know they are succulent vines, 
and like the traditionary, tough, lovable, old Yankee 
women they can “ live on nothing and look well.” In 
July I made a fern basket, or bought the pretty, large 
green wire basket ready made, to order, with a high, 
lattice-work, wide handle. The ferns were found in a 
very shady place—Cedar Point—oh, where they have 
grown for a century, until the very earth is knotty 
and gnarled and knobby with their splendid roots— 
where 
Down deep in a hollow, from morning till night, 
Dun shadows glide over the ground, 
Where the glow-worm at noonday is trimming his lamp, 
And hardly a sound from the thicket around. 
Where the rabbit and squirrel leap over the ground— 
Down deep in the dell where the bees never come; 
Where the shade is too black for a flower; 
Where jewel-winged birds, with tlieir musical hum, 
Never flash in the night of that bower. 
Well j as u I remarked to say,” the ferns filled the 
basket, and made it look like the ideal I have seen 
with my eyes closed, only I needed vines over the 
handle, and about the edges, and to hang over in 
places. I went to my bank and drew out just the 
kinds I needed; broad leafed, to fill a vacancy; a 
cluster to hide a bare place; a heavy vine for each 
side of the handle ; a fine, dainty one to run about the 
rim like a bit of embroidery, and a glossy, waxen one 
to run in and out among the plumy ferns; my very 
imagination was satisfied and my most practical wants, 
likewise. Rosella Rice. 
SPECIAL OFFERS 
DURING MONTHS OF 
M2LY and JUNE. 
Any one now a subscriber to the Floral Cabinet who will bring 
the name of one new yearly subscriber to the Cabinet, during the 
months of May and June, will receive a choice of one of tne follow¬ 
ing extra Premiums. These offers are made to induce our friends 
to make a little extra effort at this time. The travelling last winter 
was so bad, no one could get up clubs, but now we get cheering re¬ 
ports from many agents that travelling is fine, and the hardest of the 
hard times has f>us$ed, so that they say it is • asier to get up clubs 
now than at any time for a year past. 
To encourage all our friends to work now, we give these new of¬ 
fers, good only until July 1st. 
SPECIAL PREMIUMS. 
For One New Subscriber. 
1. Book, “Ladies 1 Guide to Needle Work,” worth 50c. 
2. “ “ Household Hints and Recipes ” “ 50c. 
3. “ “ Every Woman her Own Gardener,” “ 50c. 
4. “ “ Fret Sawing for Pleasure and Profit,” worth 50c. 
5 Three Patterns of Embroidery, for Java Canvas Tidies, Worsted 
Work, etc. 
6 . One package Starch Polish. 
7. One package Tidy Fasteners, set of four, each different color. 
8 . One Combination Pen and Pencil Holder. 
9. One book, “Language of Flowers.” 
10. One Silk Book Mark, or ) 
Ten Papers Flower Seeds, j 
Any one bringing two new Subscribers, may choose two of above 
Premiums, and for each new name an additional Premium for each 
pame. 
For Two Subscribers. 
11. Any ot above-named books, bound in cloth, price $1 00 
12. Wood’s Compound Magnifier, a splendid little article, price 
$1.00, which is invaluable to all flower lovers for examining flowers, 
insects, and the common uses to which a microscope is applied. 
For Three Subscribers. 
13. Book, “Household Elegancies,” price, $1 50. 
“Window Gardening,” 
“ Evening Amusements,” 
“Ladies’ Fancy Work,” 
“ Beautiful Homes,” 
The Wonders of Prayer,” 
“ The Pacific Tourist,” 
20. Warner’s Health Corset, price $1 50; the best corset for ladies’ 
use. 
N. B.—These Premiums are given only for new Subscribers sent 
to us after this date , and before July 1st, and cannot be applied to 
subscriptions forwarded before this date, nor after July 1st. Full de¬ 
scriptions of any ot the above books are found in our illustrated cata-^ 
logue, “ How to Make Home Beautiful,” sent to any address on re¬ 
ceipt of 3c. stamp. 
These are the finest offers ever made to our subscribers to get up 
new clubs or to induce their friends to subscribe. And the oppor¬ 
tunity is one which will attract general attention as splendid in every 
respect. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
1 50. 
1 50. 
1 50. 
1 50. 
1 50. 
1 50. 
WOOD’S COMPOUND MAGNIFIER 
(six times the size of illustration) is the most 
frequently useful of all microscopes. Its 
magnifying powers of ten, thirty-five and 
one hundred times, reveal myriads of in¬ 
teresting and valuable tacts and phenomena 
of the animal, vegetable, and mineral king¬ 
doms, which would remain concealed with¬ 
out it. It is by far the best detector of 
counterfeit money, the best for examining 
the textures and fibres of cloth, for discov¬ 
ering shoddy materials; the best for ex¬ 
amining plants, flowers, insects, minerals, 
etc. To children, as well as adults, this 
little Pocket Companion affords an endless source of instruction 
and amusement, cultivating habits of observation that are worth a 
hundred times its cost. It will last a lifetime, and is warranted to 
give perfect satisfaction. Price, $1.00, postpaid. 
Directions for Use .—Hold the glass close to the eye, and the ob¬ 
ject, which must be in a strong light , from one to three inches from 
it until it can be seen clearly, or the right focus is obtained. 
Dr. WARNER’S IMPROVED HEALTH CORSETS. 
Of the many corset contrivances for compressing 
woman’s form into the unnatural and hideous 
shapes which the soulless and senseless Goddess of 
Fashion is supposed to require, Dr. Warner’s Is 
probably the least objectionable. Hence we are 
very fortunate in having secured from the manu¬ 
facturers such terms as enable us to make the 
above announcements. The Adjustable Pads and 
the Skirt Supporter features of the Warner Cor¬ 
sets will be appreciated hv those who value health 
or comfort, while in all other respects the Warner 
Corsets are fully equal to any others in the market 
which can be bought for the same price ($1 75). 
The fact that they are approved of bv physicians 
will also recommend them to many of our readers. The size required 
must accompany every order, and every order must be mailed to us 
before July 1st.' Price $1.75. For $2.10. will be sent this corset and 
one year’s subscription to the Cabinet, or any $1.50 book named 
above. 
Prizes for Household and Floral Articles. 
Ma 
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