96 
House & Garden 
ISTORY repeating | 
itself brings back to 
us the Venetian 
Lamp—the vogue of the 
12 th century. 
The coloring 
of these lamps 
is so skillfully 
chosen, so skill¬ 
fully blended 
that in their 
I soft glow we 
experience the 
magic blues 
and golds, the 
subtle pinks 
and tender 
grays, the royal purple and 
golden brown of the Italian 
lakes and mountains. These 
lamps effectively complement 
to any plan of interior. 
We cordially invite dec¬ 
orators and dealers, 
as well as the public 
at large, to visit our 
permanent exhibition 
of these artistic re¬ 
creations. 
Especially noteworthy is our 
collection of tooled leather, 
antique woods, marbles, 
bronzes and "fired in” enam¬ 
eled metals—objects d'art 
which make excellent sub¬ 
jects for further decoration 
in oil colors. 
We have also 
on hand from 
our studios in 
Pietrasanta, 
Italy a splendid 
array of Vene¬ 
tian Glass, 
C e r amiche 
Majolicas of 
the Etruscan 
Period, and 
carved antique 
woods portraying the 
works of Correggio, Lippi, Da 
Vinci and their contempora¬ 
ries. 
I Dept. H 
DELLA ROBBIA STUDIOS 
AEOLIAN HALL.W.42?5T. NEW YORK 
Keeping Cut Flowers Fresh 
S. LEONARD BASTIN 
N owadays when 
flowers play such an 
important part in the 
decoration of the house, the 
care of cut blooms is a matter 
worthy of serious attention. 
There is little doubt that an 
enormous number of blossoms 
is wasted, simply owing to the 
careless manner in which they 
are commonly treated. 
Whenever possible, flowers 
should be gathered in the 
early hours of the morning 
before the dew has disap¬ 
peared ; it will be found that 
these specimens last longer 
than those which have been 
exposed to the sun for hours, 
unprotected by the shining 
drops. When buying flowers 
at shops try to secure those 
which are newly opened. 
Many blooms are truthfully 
described as freshly gathered, 
yet they will not last for any 
length of time because they 
have been fully expanded on 
the plant for days. A little 
experience will enable the 
buyer to distinguish between 
those which are newly open, 
and those which are really old. 
Regarding Stimulation 
It goes without saying that 
all flowers in vases should be 
provided with fresh water 
daily. Wherever the stalks 
are of a woody nature it is an 
excellent plan to pare away 
a few inches of the outer 
skin; this induces a free ab¬ 
sorption of moisture. Soft 
stalks may be split upward to 
bring about the same result. 
All cut flowers should be kept 
out of sunny windows, as the 
hot rays are apt to fade the 
blossoms very quickly. 
By adding carbonate of soda 
to the w'ater in which the 
flowers are placed, in the pro¬ 
portion of a teaspoon fill to a 
pint, it is possible to lengthen 
the life of cut flowers. The 
action of the chemical tends 
to increase the power of ab¬ 
sorption in the cells of the 
plant. A weak solution of 
camphor and water will have 
a similar effect. To keep the 
water sweet and clean it is an excel¬ 
lent practice to add a small lump of 
charcoal to each vase. 
Sometimes flowers are received in 
Small wads of cotton, soaked in 
salt loater and wrajyped around, 
the stems, keep bouquets fresh 
If the fioioers are received in poor 
condition, cut off the stem ends 
before plunging in hot water 
In the case of hard-stemmed sorts, 
scraping aivay the outer skin al- 
lows the absorption of water 
the flowers have revived wonderfully 
and are ready for removal to the 
vases. Even should the flowers be 
rather old, they may be stimulated 
a very faded condition, but these need by the addition of salt or camphor to 
never be thrown away without at¬ 
tempting to revive them. If the blos¬ 
soms are simply languishing because 
the hot water. 
Long-Time Freshness 
they have been out of water, it is pos¬ 
sible to restore them effectually to 
their proper condition. First of all, 
cut a little off the ends of the stalks, mended: 
then secure a bowl of very hot w'ater cover the 
(not quite boiling) and plunge the 
stalks into it. Transfer the wdiole to 
a dark cupboard, and examine in 
Where it is desired to keep flowers 
in a fresh condition for a considerable 
period, the following plan is recom- 
Obtain a shallow dish and 
surface with 1" or so of 
damp sand. Now get a glass shade 
(wide-mouthed jam jars would do 
well in the case of small flowers). 
about an hour. You will find that The flowers must be gathered in good 
Before and after the hot water Half an hour of this changes the 
and dark cupboard treatment as drooping blooms to handsome, 
applied to tulips fresh-looking ones 
YOU will hnd many helpiul 
hints in our new garden 
guide for 1917. It contains 
128 pages devoted to 
flowers and gardens. 
It tells when, where and how 
to plant; describes the kind of 
soil best suited to different 
seeds, and gives the quantity 
of seeds to use. It contains a 
full selection of flowers and 
vegetables and illustrates the 
rnost favored varieties. It also 
lists many garden implements, 
insecticides, fertilizers, etc. 
All in all it is a very helpful 
book. Write for a copy today 
ARTHUR T. BODDINGTON CO.,Inc. 
Seedsmen 
Dept. H2, 128 Chambers St, 
New York 
Boddington’s Spring 
Garden Guide 
Everything For The 
Greenhouse 
John C. Moiiinger & Co. 
Chicago 
Cincinnati New York 
Campbell Oscillating Sprinkler 
The water motor in the end makes it 
oscillate from one side to the other every 
3 seconds, evenly distributing a fine 
rain-like shower. 
It may be adjusted in 2 seconds to 
cover any desired area up to 8 ft, x 50 
to 60 ft. Another quick adjustment 
makes it distribute the water on one 
side only (either side), or it may be 
held stationary. There is nothing to 
compare with it. 
No. I. 8 ft. long. Price, $15.00. 
Shipping Weight, 30 lbs. 
No. 2. 15 ft. long, waters an area 15 
ft. X 50 to 60 ft. Price, $25.00. Ship¬ 
ping Weight, 52 lbs. 
Money refunded if not satisfactory after ten days. 
Send for oatalogrie of other up-to-date port¬ 
able sprinkling devices suitable for all pur¬ 
poses. Prices. $3.50 and up. 
Complete Automatic Irrigation Plants installed 
for estates, golf courses, gardeners, truck 
growers, etc. 
THE GEO. W. CLARK CO. 
259-C Fifth Avenue, New York 
