FLORAL DECORATIONS. 
91 
otherwise failure will be the result. The best months to 
gather the specimens are July and August. Never collect 
specimens in damp weather ; and none but perfectly ma¬ 
tured leaves ought to be selected. 
DRYING FLOWERS, 
WITH NATURAL COLORS AND FORMS PRESERVED. 
Many flowers can be dried so that their natural colors 
and forms can be perfectly preserved, and they can be kept 
m perfection a long time. This is done by drying them in 
sand. White flowers are not very well suited to this pur¬ 
pose, nor those of flimsy texture. Neither are very suc- 
culant plants. Single flowers will be found much better 
than double ones. 
It is essential that the sand used should be pure—that is 
not mixed with vegetable matter, nor any coloring sub¬ 
stances. Clean sea sand is nearest pure, but as it contains 
some salt it must be washed to free it from that. But any 
fine sand may be used by first washing it in several waters 
so as to separate from it any organic matter. The sand 
must be thoroughly dry, and this condition can only be 
attained by subjecting it to considerable heat such as may 
