The Reception of Flowers

When flowers are sent to you, each stem should be cut with a slanting
cut before you put it in water. Flowers with very thick or milky stems
should be slit up about half an inch, and woody stems are best peeled
for an inch or two. Put the flowers deep into water that has had the
chill taken off it. Always put flowers in water as quickly as possible
after they are picked. Change the water every day, and recut the stems
if they look at all brown or dry.

PETS

In no case do the following hints as to the care and character of pets
go so far as they might. But they lay down broadly the most useful
rules. In cases where a dog or bird is really ill, and ordinary
remedies and treatment do not help, the advice of some one who knows
should be asked. It is because all children are in touch with some one
who knows, that this chapter is not longer. The aim of the writer of
most of the notes which follow has been to describe those creatures
which are most commonly kept as pets, with a few suggestions as to
their care in ordinary health.

Dogs: Their Care and Food

All dogs need plenty of exercise; indeed it is scarcely possible to
give them too much when once they are over six months of age. After
twelve months they can follow a horse, but a bicycle as a rule is too
fast for a dog, and the excessive exertion is likely to make them ill.
Plenty of fresh air and freedom are necessary, and your dog should
never be chained except at night, when he should have a snug bed away
from any draught. The house is the best place for a dog to sleep, but
should he live in a kennel it must be a roomy one, filled two or three
times a week with clean straw and raised from the ground about six
inches so that it will keep dry. Kennels with runs in front are the
best, as then the dog need never be chained. In these there should be
a wooden bench for him to lie on, sheltered by a sloping roof. An
earthenware trough of clean water he must always have, and most dogs
will do best if they are fed twice a day: a light breakfast of
biscuit or brown bread and a good dinner of scraps or dog-biscuit
soaked in gravy with vegetables and plenty of rice. A rounded leather
collar is best for dogs with long hair, as it does not show so much or
spoil the coat, but for smooth-coated dogs a flat plain collar is
best.

Washing Dogs

Dogs should not be washed very often, nor will this be ne