Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-06-23
Al&xal>0tla 0az&tte
SATURDAY EVENING. JUNE .:

How Flowers MAI BE PRESERVED FOB A
LONG TIME.-F:owers may be preserved 10 u
fresh state fer considerable length Of time By
keeping them 10 q Doiat atmosphere. Those
Wbo love to see plenty o! fresh flowers 10 their
parlors or sitting rooms will be grati6ed by
adopting the following plan: Pour water into a
Hat porcelain or glass dish. Set vase of flow.
ers in The dish, and over It place bell glass,
with its rim 10 the water. The air which sur
rounds the flowers being confined beneath tue
bell glass, is kept conticuay moist with the
water which rises With it ia the form of vapor.
As fast as tho water is condensed it runs down
the sides Of the bell glass back into the dish.
and if means were taken to enclose the water
in the outside Of tie bell glass, so as to prevent
its cooperating ioto the air Of the sitting room.
the atmosphere around the flowers would re.
main continually damp. Those who whlsh to
'linscr On Tie beauty OF a rare Hover or bou
quct will he repaid BY this experiment. ltcau
be tried on q small scale by nverting tuuh
Ter over rosebud in a saucer OF water. Az
other nclhed, by Which some h3werS may
be preserved Or many months, IS TO carefully
dip them, % s0on Is gathered, iu perfectly
imped gum water, and after allowing them to
drain two or three minutes. to sci them up.
right or arrange them in the usual manner IN
al empty vase. The gum gradually forms
transparent coating on the surface OF the petals
and stems, and preserves their figure and color
| long after they become dry aud crisp. Faded
| flowers may be generally more or less restored
| by immersing their stems in very hot water and
allowing them to remain in it until it coos Oh
they have recovered. The cooled portion OF tho
stems must then be cut cif and The flowers placed
in clear. cold water Ia this way great nun
Der of faded fl,wcrs may be restored but there
are some Of the more iugac!ous kinds on which
it proves useless; but lloWers may SO be pre-
served and their tnls decpcncd by adding to
the water Z little OF the solution Of carbonate o!
a!nm9Dil and few drops Of phosphate OF
soda. The cIact oI this in giving the flower
deeper cc0r aud stronger appearance Is quite
wonderful; std by cutting of every other dag
about ouc-hait' inch Of the stems Of the flowers
With a sharp knife they may be kept as long as
their ua urai life would iast--IdnctLSter Farmer.
REFORM IN llES's ArpAEEL.--A writer il
the New York Herald says:-
What race ca Garth cxccptthe Caucasiau. ls
wiling to swathc itself, as We do, IN garments
which are ugly, which atic!G DO protection to
tho extremes CT temperature, which impede
cur NOTICES ard which arc positively unphyslu.
logical? Who n New York to-day wears hat
which offers protection against the pcrpeEdicu
lar rays Of the sua? Why, oce cannot thlrk
Of our most reasonable head covering without
a headache being the unavoidable accompani.
ment to the thought. Whotrlght have we to rail-
against woman's lead gear, which, though not
sc1viceablc. has n! least beauty IN It's favor
Then our coats ard vests--t0 they keep us cool
10 summer or warm in winter? But that ex,
nusitc sbomlDatioI, the shirt, with lis outrage
Gus starch crowns all toriurcS which abomDable
fashion cxac,s from us? What serves 20 raiso
our choicr more than our collar AID or7
neither garncrls-3o they net make Es Vcrlta
bic pan;G iloa:ics? Gas. down t. our Vcrr
shoes VIC arc clad with bu! the truoate lo.cc
ion Of uI3sing ourselves uncomfortable, unhan-
py aad unhca!tg. feel confident that move
men: toward abatement Of this nrisance would
succeed il agliated and conducted sens!5Ig.
Thousands are waiting for the initiative to be
takep, so that they may break loose from the
tortures which cc=tonl noT imposes without cx-
posipg themselves 70 the sensclc9s rldicule CT
the apes CT fashion.
VIRaI2A OREs-Tho Page Courier says
Thomas NJ. AmonG, esq, has shown us spe-
emeo of the anthracite coal taken from the
Dora mines, west of iarEisonburg, on the line
of the W. G. and ST. Il. t. Il. The specimen
shown US is the richest and purest Of this n!n
eral that VIC have ever secu, containing. by
analysis S5 per coat. of pure coal. This mine.
now already beiog worked at distanno OF $50
feet below the surface, will, when fully devcl.
oped be one of the largest aud most incZhans'-
i5Ic % the continent.
There GRE many persons who arc not aware
Of tho extent to which yellow ccbrc Is being
miucd 10 this county aud shipped to market.
Tho rnn which q being actively worked by d
Mr.. Fuotc, is located on Stouy creek, not far
from tho old Soneberger church. Tie ochra
| Is found there 10 abundance AID is said to DC
Of superior quality Mr. f., has steam engine
for grodcg it, and employs considerable
| numbcr Of hands 10 getting ready for mari kel
| From the Indications lie intends TO make 1t a