The household (of the Detroit free press)

Or this : Mix a tablespoonful of carbonate of soda in a pint of water, and in this place your bouquet ; it will preserve the flowers for a fortnight. This is a fact worth knowing, as in warm weather flowers fade and wither rapidly. Sprinkle the bouquet lightly with fresh water, and then put it in a vessel containing soap-suds ; this will keep the flowers as freshly as if first gathered. Then, every morning take the bouquet out of the suds and lay it sideways, the stock entering first, into clean water ; keep it there for a minute or two, then take it out and sprinkle the flowers lightly by the hand with water, replace it in the soap-suds, and it will bloom as fresh as when first gathered. The soap-suds need changing every three or four days. By observing these rules a bouquet may be kept bright and beautiful for a long time. The natural color of flowers may be preserved for any length of time by dipping them for a moment in clear glycerine. When the glycerine dries the various tints are seen almost as bright as before the flowers were plucked. Also a good way is to lay them in wet cloths ; take them out of the vases at night, sprinkle with cold water and then wrap them in cloths made very wet with cold water. The weight of the cloth will not crush the most delicate flowers, while it keeps out the air and prevents their falling to pieces or opening still more. CABINETS. HOW TO MAKE ONE OF EBONIZED WOOD. To ebonize a cabinet for minerals or shells, the material may be unseasoned boards of pear, holly or beech. Of course the size or shape must be a matter of individual taste, but one five by two and one-half feet, with a depth of five inches, is a convenient size. Fasten the box neatly together, fitting in shelves far enough apart to accommodate the specimens, and finish off with a full glass door, not forgetting a stout lock. The cabinet must have an ornamental top, and for this purpose can be found no better model than the top of a dressing case. The FOR SHELLS AND MINERALS. 21 knobs, etc., can be turned for a few cents, and by arranging narrow strips of wood in graceful designs, it will have a most pleasing result. Almost any strip of wood can be bent by wrapping it in flannel and steaming in the steam box. •Now comes the. pleasant part of the work, which is to convert the homely board box into a beautiful ebony cabinet. Steep the box for two or three days in lukewarm water in which a little alum has been dissolved. Then put a handful of logwood into a pint of water and boil it down to less than half a pint. If a little indigo is added the color will be more beautiful. Spread a layer of this liquor, quite hot, on the wood, which will give it a violet color. When it is dry, spread on another layer, dry again, and give it a third. Boil verdigris at discretion in its own vinegar and spread a layer of it on the wood, and when dry rub with a brush, then with oiled chamois skin. This gives a fine black and imitates perfectly the color of ebony. Do not use wood that has been long cut or aged, but let it be as fresh as possible. Let all drying be done in the air, as artificial heat tends to destroy the color. A fine effect may be had if a simple pattern be traced among the ornamental work and gilded. FOR SHELLS AND MINERALS.