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59 
FLOWERS, GRASSES AND 
MOSSES. 
In answer to a request by the editor, in the last 
number of Ladies’ Cabinet, I do what I have for 
some months thought of doing, viz.: send the follow¬ 
ing condensed account of some of the processes for 
dyeing flowers, grasses and mosses. 
To color flowers and grasses blue, red, scarlet and 
orange, use the different hinds of aniline; for yellow 
use picric acid, and for bright scarlet use borax. The 
aniline dye should be dissolved in alcohol, and kept in 
closed bottles. Any kind and skilful druggist will 
tell you the requisite quantities of each. 
Take a porcelain or any other well-glazed vessel, 
pour in some boiling water, and add as much dissolved 
aniliue as will color the water to the desired shade. 
After the water has cooled a little, plunge in the 
flowers or grasses, and keep them in till nicely colored; 
then rinse in cold water, shake off the liquid, and hang 
them in the open air to dry. To obtain a flue blue, 
take aniline blue, boil the color with the water for five 
minutes, and then add a few drops of sulphuric acid 
before using. For violet, use one part aniline violet 
and one part aniline blue; for red, fuehsiue; for scarlet, 
one part of fuchsine and one of aniline violet; for 
orange, aniline orange; for lemon color, picric acid, 
which should be dissolved in boiling water and then 
thinned with a little warm water. Dip in the flowers 
or grasses, but do not shake off the liquid. All kinds 
of ornamental grasses can be thus colored, white 
xeranthemums, and most other everlasting flowers. 
Immortelles, however, as well as the other kinds of 
helichrysuins, must be treated differently; their natural 
yellow color must first be extracted by dipping them 
in boiling soapsuds made with white soap, and after¬ 
wards dried in an airy, shady place. The flowers 
usually become closed when thus treated, hut if placed 
near a stove and subjected to a dry heat they will soon 
reopen. If not colored, they will remain fine, pure 
white immortelles. Most immortelles, however, are 
colored bright scarlet by means of borax. For this 
purpose dissolve the borax in boiling water; when 
cool, dip the flowers, but do not allow them to remain 
in after they have taken the color; if kept in too long 
they will not again open their flowers. The chief 
point in every mode of coloring immortelles is to place 
them first in a warm, dry atmosphere, where they 
will open their flowers well; and, after coloring, they 
should again be exposed to heat, by which means they 
will nearly always reopen. Very pretty immortelles 
are also produced by coloring only the centre of each 
flower scarlet, which is done by touching them with a 
small pencil or a thin wooden splinter dipped into the 
borax solution. 
The following is a cheap and useful recipe for color¬ 
ing ornamental grass and moss a beautiful green. If a 
dark green is required, dissolve in boiling water one 
ounce of alum, and add half an ounce of dissolved 
indigo-carmine (soluble indigo); plunge the moss or 
grass into the mixture, shake off the liquid, and dry in 
an airy, shady place. 'In the winter, however, they 
should be dried by artificial heat. For a light green, 
add to the above mixture more or less picric acid, 
according to the shade desired. 
The above directions I cut from a copy of the 
Boston Journal of Chemistry , into which they were 
copied from The Garden, a London publication, and 
therefore think they are reliable. 
With our Editor, I think grasses the “ most orna¬ 
mental when of their natural color;” but still, when diamond, that is with point toward you ; below, but 
they have become faded it is a nice idea to dye them half over-lapping the first, place a second in a similar 
■and mix a moderate quantity with the natural ones. ! position. So proceed with the others, the ornamented 
The best way to dry grasses is to pick them at square being the last and outer one. Still keeping 
different times during the season (thus securing many them in this form, tack them firmly together wherever 
different shades of color), place them loosely and grace- the edges meet; attach tassels to the three lower 
fully in vases, and let them dry in that way,Instead of-points, joining them to the card under little, bows or 
in the old-fashioned way of tying them in bunches rosettes of ribbon, and a loop of ribbon to the upper 
and hanging them up heads downwards. one. Hang the receiver upon the wall and slip pho- 
We hope the above directions may be of benefit to tographs between the over-lapping cards; it will be 
“ Mrs. F. W. S.,” as well as other readers of our found very bright and pretty. 
beautiful and valuable paper. 
Mrs. Mary I. Herron. 
Jamaica Plains, Mass. 
NOTES ON HOUSEHOLD ELEGANCIES. 
By Hazel Gray, 
daisy TIDY. 
A very delicate and pretty tidy may be made in the 
following manner, the materials required consisting 
card plate. 
Take a small round or oval plate, it may be of 
coarse common ware, provided it is smooth and of 
graceful form. Give it three coats of sealing wax 
paint, made by dissolving sealing wax in alcohol, 
letting each become thoroughly dry and smooth before 
the next is applied. When this is nicely done, orna¬ 
ment either with pictures made for such purposes, or 
with decalcomanie, and finish with one or more coats 
of clear varnish. You will be surprised at the beauty 
of three rolls of fine white tape one inch wide, and ; of work> A card plate made in this way painted 
a few knots of yellow worsted : Cut your tape into , ^ ^ chinege ornaments in gilt,has often been ad- 
pieces fifteen and one-lialf inches in width, then by the 
aid of your pencil and tape measure, mark off' upon 
one edge of the tape dots one inch apart; mark the 
other edge in a similar way, these dots however alter¬ 
nating with the first, and place a third row of dots 
mid-way between these two rows along the centre of 
the tape, join the ends, and with strong white thread 
gather the tape by taking a short stitch where each 
dot appears and carrying the thread from one to the 
next. If done rightly the gathering thread will form 
a series of points. Draw the thread and fasten it, 
thus forming a flat ring of quilled tape with a small 
opening in its centre. For the centre of the daisy, 
wind a thread of the worsted around your finger fifteen 
or twenty times, slip off and tie thread tightly around 
the little cluster of loops ; cut open at each end, shear 
off smoothly with the scissors, it will form a flat furry 
tuft, one inch across; fasten this over the centre of 
your daisy and the flower is complete. Make twenty- 
five of these, fasten together in diamond form, place 
upon a chair covered with green or black, and you will 
have an exceedingly pretty effect. 
WALL POCKET FOR LETTERS. 
mired, few believing it to be of domestic manufacture. 
Yases and antique bowls to stand on corner brackets 
may be made in a similar manner. 
HOME ORNAMENTS. 
Never were truer words written than these, “ There 
is no place like home,” and as woman is the presiding 
genius of .that hallowed spot, it should be one of her 
chief pleasures to make it as cheery and “homey” as 
possible. To effect this, great wealth is not required; a 
willing heart and tasty fingers can accomplish wonders. 
In these days of brackets and ebromos, who would have 
bare walls and dismal looking rooms ? Brighten your 
homes for the young folks. I saw a beautiful orna¬ 
ment at a friend’s house the other day; it was a cross 
made of lichen, the foundation was of pasteboard, and 
the lichen was glued on firmly; over this twined a 
wax wreath of Virginia creeper ; a natural vine of any 
kind could be substituted. A pretty basket is made 
as follows : Take wire and form the skeleton of the 
basket any desirable shape; twine rags around the 
wire, and then dip in a solution of alum and water; 
the basket I saw was lined with blue silk and dainty 
Cut from white perforated cardboard a back for your blue bows were placed around the edge ; it was filled 
wall pocket of any pretty, graceful shape; cut also a with choice sea shells. A pretty Christmas present 
piece for the pocket of suitable size. One lying before would be a toilet box, made in the following way : Get 
me has a back nine inches across the bottom by a box about eight inches long and six inches wide, 
seven, and has a small promotion, if I may call it so, line, and slightly cushion with pink chintz; cover and 
in the middle of the upper side by which it is hung ; ; cushion the lid with the same, as also the side of the 
the edge is scolloped and the pocket is an oblong piece, box, then cover the top with lace and quill lace around 
six and a half inches by four, placed upon the centre the sides ; have an x edge of lace around the lid, and a 
of the back. Having shaped back and pocket to suit pink silk bow at each corner ; it is a dainty affair; of 
your fancy, bind both with narrow scarlet ribbon. ■ course you can use silk or satin instead of chintz. 
With scarlet worsted or silk, work a narrow vine pat- | Pen wipers are necessary affairs, and the prettier wo 
fora about the edge of the pocket and work your in- can make them, the better; take a doll’s head of good 
iti ils *in its centre. Ornament the back by little size, make a foundation of stiff pasteboard and cover 
figures placed in each corner and in middle of the with cloth,-to this fasten the . head, then make an out- 
upper side. Designs for all these as well as the vine side garment of pretty colored cloth, with the initials 
and initials may be found in the little French pattern of your name worked on it, quill a pretty ribbon 
books now so common. Sew the pocket on the back, around the top where the head is fastened, and you 
stitching through the binding of the pocket, and attach 
it at its top by two little strips of scarlet ribbon; a 
loop of the same at the top will serve to suspend the 
pocket from the wall. 
PHOTOGRAPH RECEIVER. 
From a sheet of silver perforated hoard, cut five or 
more pieces each four and one-half inches square, bind 
each with narrow ribbon, and in the centre of one work 
an initial or any pretty design. Now lay one of the 
plain squares upon the table in the position of a 
will have a handsome pen wiper. 
A convenient article is the kitchen w>-ari pocket. It 
is made about eighteen inches long and half as wide; 
the pasteboard foundation is covered with cloth or 
leather, and the edges bound with bright colored 
worsted braid : one large pocket is made at th bot¬ 
tom, the upper part having two smaller ones ; articles 
which detract from the otherwise neat appearance of 
the kitchen can be placed in this. 
Doylestovm, Penn. Ag. Apantiius. 
