Few plants can endure standing in a soil constantly
drenched, or in saucers of water. Less damage is done by drouth
than by over-watering. A good rule is to thoroughly drench the
soil once in two days, using water but little warmer than the tem-
perature of the room. Geraniums especially revolt from superfluous
water. Ageratums and heliotropes just as decidedly protest against
being in the least dried. The difficulties of damping-off and mildew
are also fostered by the exceedingly rich soil som.etimes used. It
should be remembered that a plant or tree can be made dyspeptic.
Geraniums, as a general thing, are wonderfully accommodating
plants. They will grow almost anywhere and bear a great amount
of ill-treatment and even neglect These remarks are, however, more
2/0 THE hearthstone; OR, LIFE AT HOME.
applicable to those of the so-called zonale varieties, which require
plenty of sunlight and abundance of room to spread themselves. If
grown in small pots, so that the roots will be cramped, they will bloom
much quicker. One of the commonest errors of the amateur florists
consists in the belief that the larger pot you give a plant just so
much the better it will grow. Now here is the folly of the thing.
If you give them a great deal of soil, of necessity the earth will be-
come sour, because, in order to keep the soil moist, you will have to
give more water than the plant can use.
How TO Preserve Flowers in Sand. — While our art lovers
warmly applaud all successful efforts to represent nature for the adorn-
ment of our homes, the art of imprisoning real bits of nature for the
same purpose is not sufficiently studied. The neglect of some of
the pretty means of installing art in our homes is greatly observable
in the preparation of flowers and leaves of all kinds for winter use.
As usually pressed, they are flat and unnatural, and their fibres being
packed closely and forced into straight lines, are extremely brit-
tle. In the pretty ferns and autumn leaves, their delicate veinings
are obliterated, and their characteristic dimples conventionalized
away, while a pressed rose is no more like a rose than your best
friend would be like herself if passed between the rollers of a paper
mill. The best plan, but one which is not generally known, or used,
is to press in sand, and this can be done as follows: Procure nice,
clean, dry sand, white is preferable, and for white flowers indispensa-
ble, if their pure tone would be retained. Pluck your flowers as
freshly blown as possible✪ How to Preserve Flowers in Sand, that they may contain plenty of sap; in
most cases remove the stems, as they take up too much room, are
not easily managed, and when dry do not carry the flowers as well as
wire stems. Cover the bottom of the box with sand, then, resting
the stem part of a flower thereon, and letting each petal fall in its
natural position, fill its every interstice with sand, at the same time
that you build up evenly and neatly about it. A common envelope
box will contain enough flowers for two bouquets. Of course heavy-
petalled flowers, such as dahlias, camelias, roses, etc., press better
FLORICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE. 2/1
Page 175 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Few plants can endure standing in a soil constantly drenched, or in saucers of water. Less damage is done by drouth than by over-watering. A good rule is to thoroughly drench the soil once in two days, using water but little warmer than the temperature of the room. Geraniums especially revolt from superfluous water. Ageratums and heliotropes just as decidedly protest against being in the least dried. The difficulties of damping-off and mildew are also fostered by the exceedingly rich soil sometimes used. It should be remembered that a plant or tree can be made dyspeptic.
Geraniums, as a general thing, are wonderfully accommodating plants. They will grow almost anywhere and bear a great amount of ill-treatment and even neglect These remarks are, however, more
2/0 THE hearthstone; OR, LIFE AT HOME.
applicable to those of the so-called zonale varieties, which require plenty of sunlight and abundance of room to spread themselves. If grown in small pots, so that the roots will be cramped, they will bloom much quicker. One of the commonest errors of the amateur florists consists in the belief that the larger pot you give a plant just so much the better it will grow. Now here is the folly of the thing. If you give them a great deal of soil, of necessity the earth will become sour, because, in order to keep the soil moist, you will have to give more water than the plant can use.
How TO Preserve Flowers in Sand. — While our art lovers warmly applaud all successful efforts to represent nature for the adornment of our homes, the art of imprisoning real bits of nature for the same purpose is not sufficiently studied. The neglect of some of the pretty means of installing art in our homes is greatly observable in the preparation of flowers and leaves of all kinds for winter use. As usually pressed, they are flat and unnatural, and their fibres being packed closely and forced into straight lines, are extremely brittle. In the pretty ferns and autumn leaves, their delicate veinings are obliterated, and their characteristic dimples conventionalized away, while a pressed rose is no more like a rose than your best friend would be like herself if passed between the rollers of a paper mill. The best plan, but one which is not generally known, or used, is to press in sand, and this can be done as follows: Procure nice, clean, dry sand, white is preferable, and for white flowers indispensable, if their pure tone would be retained. Pluck your flowers as freshly blown as possible, that they may contain plenty of sap; in most cases remove the stems, as they take up too much room, are not easily managed, and when dry do not carry the flowers as well as wire stems. Cover the bottom of the box with sand, then, resting the stem part of a flower thereon, and letting each petal fall in its natural position, fill its every interstice with sand, at the same time that you build up evenly and neatly about it. A common envelope box will contain enough flowers for two bouquets. Of course heavypetalled flowers, such as dahlias, camelias, roses, etc., press better
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How to Preserve Flowers in Sand