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HOUSEKEEPEr'S BOOK.
                     FLOWERS.
  IT is not unfrequent to ornament rooms with artificial
flowers; yet these, however beautiful, have no odour: but
a cheap and elegant substitute may be found by taking nat-
ural flowers in bloom, and dipping them in alcohol, or
strong spirits of wine, for about a quarter of an hour; after
which the colour will appear to have entirely faded. As
they become dry, however, they may be arranged for the
beaupots, when it will be found that their colours will re-
vive, and their odour will be prolonged much beyond the
usual time.
  Most flowers begin to droop and fade after being kept
during twenty-four hours in water; a few may be revived
by substituting fresh water; but all (the most fugacious such
as the poppy, and perhaps one or two others excepted) may
be completely restored by the use of hot water. For this
purpose, place the flowers in scalding water, deep enough
to cover about one-third of the length of the stem: by the
time the water has become cold, the flowers will have
become erect and fresh; then cut off the end of the stems,
and put them into cold water. It may be added, that a few
grains of salt dropped into the water in which flowers are
kept, preserves them greatly from fading, keeping them in
bloom double the period that pure water will.
  We have seen anothet ingenious method of preserving
flowers throughout the winter, which may serve as a cheap
and pleasing mode of decoration. The plan is to pluck the
flowers when half blown, and to put them in an earthen ves-
sel with a close cover, immersing them, with the stalks
downwards, in a mixture of water and verjuice. of each
equal parts, sprinkled with a small portion of bay salt. The
vessel must be well closed up and kept in a warm place,
safe from the action of frost; and then, on the coldest day
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