MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 71 
MATERIALS FOR MINIATURE GARDENS 
Much interest was manifested in the miniature gardens 
displayed at the fourth annual show of the Garden Club of 
St. Louis, and the purpose of this article is to aid those who 
contemplate making gardens for the next show by bringing 
together a list of materials that may be used. 
Houses may be made of cardboard, wax, wood, and eard- 
board and plastacene. The Garden Club of America has been 
furnishing a very: desirable model house, garage, and stand, 
for ten dollars. The house and garage were designed by Mr. 
William A. Delano, and are cast in plaster of Paris to the 
scale of one-eighth inch to the foot. The tray permits the 
treatment of a level piece of ground, or, if desired, the soil 
level may be raised to represent conditions met with on an 
average lot. A mixture of one-half sawdust and one-half plas- 
ter of Paris (bulk measure), mixed with water to form a paste, 
makes a suitable ground base. This is spread in the tray and 
moulded to the desired elevation. Another base may be made 
from ground cork (the material in which Malaga grapes are 
packed) and orange shellac. This mixture is light in weight, 
a point to consider when models have to be transported econ- 
siderable distances. The finishing surface may be of plaster 
of Paris or a combination of white sand, beeswax, and par- 
affin. For accuracy in executing a model a blue-print of the 
grounds is drawn to seale, placed on the board, and wire brads 
driven at intervals along the contour lines to the proper eleva- 
tion. The base mixture is then applied and moulded to the 
desired elevations, the nails being covered eventually with the 
finishing material. 
Every model usually requires some turf and for this pur- 
pose various materials are available. The Garden Club of 
America sells an article to represent grass, called plastaline 
(similar to Turkish toweling), for thirty-five cents a pound. 
Sand, colored green with dry powdered paint, is another ma- 
terial to use. Fish glue or shellac is applied to the portion to 
represent the lawn and the colored sand dusted on from a 
ean having a perforated lid. After drying, all loose sand is 
blown off, preferably by means of a rubber bulb or bellows, as 
the fine particles are detrimental to the throat and lungs. 
