ANTIDOTES TO POISONS

The first thing to do is to cause their rejection b^ vomiting, to do 'whicH

fAace mustard mixed with salt on the tongue, or give large Quantities of okewarm water, or tickle the throat with a feather. These Taihng, instantly resort to active emetics, like tartar emetic, sulphate of copper, or sulphjite of zinc. After vomiting has taken place with these, continue it if poasibla by copious draughts of warm water till the poison is entirely removed. Of course, if vomiting can not be induced, the stomach pump must be em* ployed, especially if arsenic or narcotics have been taken. A brief tabla^ formulated as follows, may be useful for emergencies:

Baryta ob Limb.

Opium and other

Nabooticb. Phosphorus. Zinc.

antidotbs.

Alkalies — Soap and milk, chalk, soda, lime-water.

Vegetable Acids — Vinegar, oil in abundanoe*

Common salt, moderate! v.

iSend for the doctor and his stomach pompu

Oak-bark, strong green tea.

Epsom salts, oils, and magnesia.

Whites of eggs, sweet milk.

Whites of eggs, or strong coffee.

Cold douche, followed by friction.

Starch, wheat flour in water.

White of eggs, sweet milk.

Lemonade, strong, epsom salts.

Emetics — Cold douche, exercise, and beat.

Magnesia, in copious draughts.

Whites of eg^, sweet milk.

Apply fire in some form to the wound, thoroughly

and immediately. Ammonia, appliea freely.

Same as for mad dog, followed by whisky to intoxi- cation.

The foregoing are the more common and more important poiaona and their antidotes.

Mad-dog Bite. Bite op Insect. Bite of Serpent.

To Kill Earth-worms. — Ten drops of carbolic acid In & pint of water, poured over earth in flower-pots will kill all earth-worms.

Sure Shot for Kosb Slugs. — Make a tea of tobacco-stems and a soap-suds of whale-oil or carbolic soap, mix, and apply to the bush with a sprinkler, turning the bush so as to wet the under as well as the upper part of the leaves; apply before the sun is up three or four times.

Ivies. — A successful cultivator of ivies feeds them with iron and cod-liver oil ; the iron in form of rusty nails, mixed into the earth. Another pro- duced a luxurious growth by watering once a week with tobacco-water; making a tea of refuse tobacco-leaves and stems, or of coarse tobacco. The water from the washing of fresh beef is also of great benefit to ivies. Moisten the leaves with a sponge wet in tea, or put t«a-leaves around the plant.

To Keep Plants Without a Fire at Night. — Have made of wood or ziiu*. a tray about four inches deep, with a handle on either end, water-tight — paint it outside and in, put in each comer a post as high as the tallest of your plants, and it is reaay for use. Arrange your flower-i>ot8 in it, and fill between them with sawdust; this absorbs the moisture falling from the

Slants when you water them, and retains the warmth acquired during the ay, keeping the temperature of the roots even. When you retire at night spread over the post^s a blanket or shawl, and there is no danger of freezing. The tray may be placed on a stand or table and easily moved about.

Window Gardening. — All the varieties of Englisli ivy, the hoyacamosa, the passion flower, the jasmine, tlie pilogyne suavis, and begonias are espe- cially suitable for window culture. Very pretty effects may be produced at the cost of a few cents, by planting verbenas, morning-glories, cobea scan- dens, and the maurandi&s in baskets or flower-pots, which may be' concealed behind statuary- or bronzes. The best fertilizer for them or any other house plants is that afforded bv the tea-pot ; the cold tea-grounds usually thrown away, if poured as a lioation to these household fairies, will produce a miracle oi beauty and perfume.

To Prepare Autumn Leaves and Ferns. — Immediately after gathering, take a moderately warm iron, smear it well witli white wax, rub over each surface of the leaf once, apply more wax for each leaf; this process causes leaves to roll about as when hanging on the tree. If pressed more they be- come brittle and remain perfectly flat. Maple and oak are among the most desirable, and may be gathered any time after the severe frosts; but the sumac and ivy must be secured as soon after the first slight frost, as they be- come tinted, or the leaflets will fall from the st«m. Ferns may be selected any time during the season. A large book must be used in gathering tliem, as they will be spoiled for pressing if carried in the hand. A weight should be placed on them until they are perfectly dry ; then, excepting the most delicate ones, it -will be well to press them Hke the leaves, as they are liable to curl when placed in a warm atmosphere; these will form beautiful com- binations with the sumac and ivy.

Keeping Cut-Flo wers Fresh. — Cut-flowers soon drop and fade. Here are some of the ways in which they are preserved: Ada to the water a few drops of camphor or ammonia, a little salt, a lump of charcoal ; immersing the stems in hot water when a boucjuet is first maae, and then as they com- mence to wilt repeating it. first cutting off the ends. Have a skillet or pan ob

590 FLORAL,

the stove with boiling water, in depth from half an inch to an inch, hold the stems in the boiling water for a few seconds, make into bouquets and place in water; or if you wish to send to a distance, pack in a box, and send by mail, or anv way you wish. When placed in the water a little salt or a rusty nail dropped in helps to keep them fresh. In making bouquets, be careful not to crowd too many flowers into one vase. They will last longer, to say nothing about their improved appearance, if the^ stand loosely. Never use cold water. Let it be lukewarm, and soft if possible. Sprinkling flowers in vases at night will help to keep them fresh, and, better still, lay them out on the grass where they will receive the dew, being careful to take them in early in the morning in summer, before the hot rays of the sun have wilted tliem.

Flat }x)uquets, made in plates or glass platters, can be built up with a foundation of sand. Flowers will last much longer if their stems are thruat into wet sand than they will in water. The sand can be covered with nios8» the flowers can be arran^d in any fanciful shape that suits, and they will not be likely to become disarranged, for the sand holds them in place firmly. Instead of moss, leaves can be used to cover the surface and make a ground* work for the design, or bits of geranium branches, which often put out roott in the damp sand, and most of them grow right alon^ as if nothing had hap-

Sened to them. Very pretty designs may be made of tin about an inch m epth in diamond crosses, and letters, and then filled with sand and flowers. In making button-hole bouquets, or arranging flowers such as roses, camels lias, etc., for the hair, cut the stems off at right angles and immediately apply hot wax to the end of the stock, then wrap in tin-foil, or to keep them, after applying the wax : place each one in a paper cone or cap so that the leaves do not touch the paper. The cap shoula be sealed up with glue to prevent air, dust or moisture from entering. When the glue is dry it should be placed in a cool place. W^hen wanted, cut off" the waxed end and place in water, where it will bloom in a few hours.

House Plants. — Plants that require a high or low temperature, or a very moist atmosphere, and plants that bloom only in summer are undesirable. Procure fresh sandy loam, with an equal mixture of well rotted turf, leaf mold and cow-yard manure, with a small quantitj' of soot. In repotting use one size larger than they were grown in; hard burned or glazed pots prevent the circulation of air. Secure drainage by broken crockery and pebbies laid in the bottom of the pot. An abundance of light is imjiortAnt, and when this can not be given, it is useless to attempt the culture of flowering plants. If possible they should have the morning sun, as one hour of sunshine then is worth two in the afternoon. Fresh air is also essential, but cold, chilling draughts should be avoided. Water front one to three times a week with soft luke-warm water, draining off all not absorbed by the earth. Do not permit water to stand in the saucers, as the only plant thriving under such treatment are calla lilies, and even for these it is not necessary unless while blooming. Dust is a great obstacle to the growth of plants ; a good sliower- ini; will generally remove it, but all the smooth-leaved plants, such as camellias, ivies, etc., should be occasionally sponged to keep the foliage clean and healthy. Plants succeed best in an even temperature ranging from six- ty to seventy degrees during the day, with from ten to twelve degrees lower at night, ff troubled with insects put them under a box or oarrel and smoke from thirty to sixty minutes with tobacco leaves. For the red spider, the best remedy is to lay the plants on the side and sprinkle well or shower. Repeat if nece^ary. The soil should be frequently stirred to p

FLORAL, . 591

temperature. Do not sprinkle the foliage of the camellias while the flower* bnds are swelling, as it will eause them to droop, nor sprinkle them in the sunshine. They should have a temperature of about forty dejjrees and more shade. By following these rules, healthy flowering plants will be the result. — J. S. Robijisoji.

Thk Care of House Plants.— When plants are frosted sprinkle with fresh cold water, and place under a box or something that will exclude the light and prevent too great a change in temperature. Keep them thus for two days. After sprinkling, be careful to put them where they will not chill again. Horse-manure, two years old, is best for carnations. For bego- nias good drainage is indispensable. The whole family thrive in a compost of one-half loam and one-half leaf-mold with a slight portion of sand. From September to February give pelargoniums only enough water to keep them from wilting; then water freely, and when they begin to bud, apply a little liquid-manure, or add ammonia to the water twice a week. Double gerani- nms should be kept in small pots, as they will not bloom well until the roots become compact. They require a higher temperature than the single varie- ties. During warm weather, the foliage of fuchsias should be well sprinkled every evening to prevent its becoming seared too early. To obtain plants of the greatest beauty in form and color, plenty of light and space is essential. Do not allow the foliage of one plant to overshadow another. — Mrs. Prof. F. Wood.

Hints about Plants. — Few things are necessary for the successful culti- vation of house plants. A i)atient, untiring spirit is most important. The other requisites are plenty of sunlight, fresh air, and water when they need it It is better to give a good supply of water when called for by drooping leaves, than to give a little at a time often. Never leave pots to set in water in saucers except for the calla lily. To repot, turn plants upside down on the left hand, rap pots sharply with stick ; this will loosen it from the ball of earth ; lift it off, and place the plant in a pot two sizes larger, or in the ground. Do not leave the soil too rich with manure but well mixed, and composed of sod-soil, wild or leaf-mold, and well-rotted stable manure. Cut

giants back pretty closely when vou cliange tliem, and they will thrive bet- jr afterwards. Water well at first, then only moisten slightly until thejjr begin to grow. A good rule for watering plants is once a week in winter if the weather is mild, or when it has moderated, have a gallon watering-can filled with blood-warm water, stir in a tea-spoonful of aqua ammonia, and as you set the plants in a convenient place (I set mine on the kitchen floor), pour in pot a plentiful supply of this warm water, and after this, sprinkle well with warm water without ammonia. In summer two or three times a week is the rule. Ivies need large pots, and should be repotted every year in the summer time.

A good way to start slips is to partly break off the slip, but do not entirely 0ever it from the parent stock, leaving it hanging for ten or twelve days; then remove, and plant in a box of half sand or brick-dust and half leaf- mold, and it will oe well rooted in a week. Do not water too freely, or the slip will rot This is better for both slip and plant, as the slip will get XMurishment from plant while healing over, and its removal will not weak- en the plant so much. Hyacinths are very attractive flowers for window- gardening, and at the same time require verv little care or trouble. Get the bulbs in the fall before frost from any good florist ( Vick is my favorite), and keep in a cool place until December, then plant each one in a four- inch pot with soil one-fourth sand, one-fourth well-rotted manure, one-fourth garden or sod-soil, and one-fourth broken bits of moss and leaf-mold; water thoroughly at first, and set in dark closet until the flrst of Janu- ary, then bring to light and ^ve plenty of water. A very good way is to set half a dozen or more pots m a large dripping-pan, pour hot (not boiling) water in pan, and let sat for one hour. After they are done blooming, let them dry out gradually. They will not bloom the second season as well as the first —JfTJS. G.