6. Another use for the humble potato was common in smart homes
Gardening was a popular hobby during the Gilded Age among the middle class, though less for the vegetables it yielded to the table and more for the flowers it provided as decorations for the home. Cut flowers were sold by vendors in the streets of cities and in the markets. Vasefuls of flowers not only served as decorations, but as air fresheners in homes which had no circulating heating and cooling systems, other than open windows if the season allowed. But since freshly cut flowers were just as prone to wilting then as they are today, several means of extending their freshness and appeal were practiced.
One was the addition of a bit of sugar to the water. Aspirin, which is used for the same purpose today, was not readily available. Another means was the removal of the flowers from a vase, snipping the ends of the stems, and wrapping them in hot, moist towels. When returned to the vase they were reinvigorated. Another means was through the use of potatoes to prevent the flowers from wilting, without the use of water. Cut flowers were inserted into holes cut into raw potatoes, allowing them to be arranged, or transported, without water. They were said to last as long as a week when so arranged.