San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-11-14
CARE OF cur FLOWERS.
Useful Hints for the Preservation of
Clipped Blossoms.

Useful Hints for the Preservation OF
Clipped Blossoms.
! The woman who wishes to enjoy the
/ whole of the short life of her cut flow
ers instead of only a small portion of
it will not settle down upon any one
undertaking method of preserving
them, but will rather vary it according
to the different causes which lead to
their decay.
Take, for instance, the flowers of a
succulent nature like the iris. The
stems when put into the water slough
away and soon give forth an unpleasant
odor. There are two remedies which
may be applied in this case; either one
should put a mild disinfectant in the
water and frequently change it, or cut
off the ends of the stalks at short in
tervals.
A good point to remember in gather
ing flowers of the iris family, and, in
deed, all succulent plants like the prim-
rose, the snowdrOp, the lily and poppy,
Is to pick them while still in the bud,
as they will often suck up enough water
to quite carry out their natural life.
Another flower whose stem most
rapidly decays and corrupts the water
is mignonette, and it is often best,
therefore, to sacrifice it while it's head
is still freshly green. rHeliotrope, like
mignonette, should always be put in
water by itself, for it not only fades
and turns brown rapidly, but it will
kill almost any flower put with it.
The cause of decay in .hard-wooded
plants like the azalea and camelia is
that they do not take up enough water,
not that they have any tendency to pol
lutte it, so that to cut their stalks fire.
quently would be of little avail. The
hard, brittle wood has no power of alb
sorption; but if when putting such
flowers in vase or bowl you make sure
that the lowest leaves attached to the
blossoms are under water the effect is
magical.
The tender green of the fresh leaf alb
serbs the water and acts as a conductor,
in it's turn nourishing the blossoms,
Ferns, and especially maidenhair, are
very short lived when they have to look
to the stem alone for nourishmept, and
the most efrectual way to preserve them
is to see that the lower part Of every
frond is well under water. Cut flowers
require as a rule far greater quantity
of water than is given them, though the
capacious bowls and vases now in
vogue come much nearer meeting their
wants than the slender, elegant forms
4
mantels.
We must be guided in our expecta-
tions of the longevity of flower, how
ever, by its normal life, and not expect
the frail blossom of day to rival the
splendid orchid in its three weeks
duration.
Flowers should always be placed in
water as soon as possible after being
picked; when received by post in a
somewhat wilted condition an immedi-
ate plunge into hot water with little
sal volatile will accomplish wonders
in the way of reviving them.
Lilac, laburnum and azaleas require
to have piece of the bark stripped up
and left hanging, and this, with the ad-
dition of few leaves in the water, will
often keep them in quite a fresh condi-
ton for weeks.
The bouquet which you have carried
during an evening will be sure to revive
again if you spray it well with water
and put it under a bell glass and if you
wish to wear flowers in your hair or on
your corsage they may be made to re-
tain their freshness for an entire even
ing by putting bit of sealing wax over
the ends.-Chicago Tribune.