Page:Japanese flower arrangement.djvu/218

 the end so (see cut) by cutting and apply some dry Sansho in the openings made; then put the branch in water for two or three hours.



These simple and well-thought-out methods do more towards preserving cut flowers than the complicated drug mixtures which are so secretly held back by the masters; or, I should say, were held, for the teachers today give more liberally of this knowledge. In ancient times the rules for preserving flowers were completely withheld from the pupils. A master would sometimes reveal one rule or secret at a time to an advanced pupil, but it was impossible for any student to find out all the rules, unless in the case of the master's death, when to a favorite pupil [212]