The beautiful operations of nature will then commence. The roots of the vine will at once begin to adapt themselves to their new home, and their delicate fibres will firmly clasp the particles of the well-prepared soil; the warm days of the early Spring will draw the sap up through the whole length of the vine, the buds will open and exhibit their delicate tints, new shoots and broad green leaves will follow, and you can soon eat the fruit of your own labor, sitting beneath the shadow of your own vine.
DESIGNS FOR FLOWERS.
There are many beautiful ways of arranging flowers, besides in our costly vases. For example, take a basket and knit like a garter pieces of different shades of moss colored worsted; then dip in hot water and press them; when dry ravel nearly out, only leaving an end which can be fastened on to the basket with sewing silk or green glace thread and a large needle. A basket tastefully covered in this way looks as if it were made of moss, and it retains its beauty longer; a tin dish should be made to fit it, and painted green; keep it filled with natural flowers. I should prefer such an ornament to costly porcelain. Many fill such baskets with exquisite French flowers, which imitate nature perfectly.
To form a pyramid of flowers, take three, four or five wooden bowls according to the size you wish for your pyramid, let them be a regular gradation in size, procure some round pieces of wood, like ribbon blocks, graded in size, glue the tallest into the centre of the largest bowl so that it will stand upright, and upon top of that glue the bowl next in size, and so on to the smallest bowl. Varnish the inside several coats; paint the outsides green and cover with moss; some have a stand made and glued to the bottom of the largest bowl. When filled with flowers, it is a lovely sight. Baskets made of tin and painted green, then covered with moss, make the prettiest hanging baskets possible. Tin rings large enough to surround vases placed inside, and made to hold water, with little wires across the top and painted green, when filled with flowers, form the prettiest mats in the world; the wires keep the flowers in place. I saw one filled with only small Rose-buds, blue Forget-me-nots and Geranium leaves. It is an improvement to cover the outside with moss. Crosses made in the same way are very beautiful and are appropriate to place on the grave of any beloved friend. In that way flowers can be preserved a long time, if there is a sufficient supply of water to preserve them.
There are innumerable ways of arranging flowers. The poorest person can afford to purchase a tin basin, and with a little common paste and moss, which can be found in all country places, a pretty dish for flowers is soon made. Shells make lovely vases. The large shells sailors polish so exquisitely to resemble mother-of-pearl, make elegant hanging vases; bore holes on each side and hang them with strong cords.
Decorate your rooms with flowers if possible. If you have sick friends at home or abroad, carry them flowers; it will cheer them more than you can realize unless you too have been sick.
TO PRODUCE VARIOUS FLOWERS FROM ONE STEM.
Scoop the pith from a small twig of elder; split it length-ways, and fill each of the parts with seeds that produce different colored flowers. Surround the seed with earth; tie the two bits of wood together, and plant the whole in a pot filled with earth. The stems of the different plants will thus be so incorporated as to exhibit to the eye only one stem, throwing out branches with the different flowers you have planted. By choosing the seeds of plants which germinate at the same time, and which are nearly similar in the texture of their stems, an ingenious person may obtain artificial plants extremely curious.