October 28, 1889. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTXTRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



335 



DECORATIONS OF AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 



'' ' 'Tis but a whim — but oh ! entwine 

 These leaves aronnd tbat brow of thine.' 



said my cousin Nelly — and I did so en- 

 twine them, and that wi-eath of mingled Fern 

 and Virginian Creeper leaves was more 

 admired — deservedly admired • — than any 

 other head-gear that night, ^^^ly are not 

 autumnal-tinted leaves more used for pur- 

 poses of personal, and room, and tahle- 

 ornamentatioa ? They can ho rendered long- 

 enduring, and 



' These leaves are tinged with beauty far above 



Spring's gayest hues, or brightest, freshest green : 



Their blending shades of every tint are seen ; 

 Palo amber, half transparent in the ray 



Of the bright sun ; brown, red, grey, 

 Varied in hne and form, bestrew the way.' 



" Now, I dare say that you dry old Editors will pooh- 

 pooh this, and feel disposed to put all into your Balaam- 

 basket, and designate it ' the romantic stuff of a school 

 girl ;' but I do ask you not to pooh-pooh it, and as I am 

 nearer to twice ' sweet seventeen ' than there is any 

 necessity to be told, it is not ' school girls' ' sentimeiitalism, 

 and many would be pleased with information on the sub- 

 ject besides — Myself. 



'•P.S. — I want such information as will enable me to 

 select leaves — to be told what is their colour in autumn, 

 and how to fasten them." 



[Now, is not that truly a woman's letter ? The sole ob- 

 ject for which it was written is in the postscript, and she 

 ventures to pen-buft'et those from whom she asks aid. How 

 near to being " old Editors " we are we do not recognise 

 that " there is any necessity to be told," and as evidence 

 that we are not " dry " even on autumn leaves, we add the 

 following from an American contemporary : — 



" Foreigners are deeply impressed with the autumnal 

 splendour of our American forests. This gorgeous colour- 

 ing of the ripened foliage, which is much more brilliant 

 with us than in other countries, sets the deciduous trees 

 in vivid contrast with the sombre-hued Firs and Pines, 

 and makes of the most ordinary landscape a charming 

 picture. A portion of this splendour, which in autumn is 

 lavishly scattered abroad, we may rescue awliile from de- 

 cay, and. brightening with it our in-door life, till the dark 

 days of winter with light and beauty. 



" Since an observant American woman has taught the 

 Parisian belles how becoming our autumn leaves are to 

 dark-haired ladies, and thus created a demand for this 

 foliage as a personal decoration, its wonderfully-varied tint- 

 ings have been more generally noticed and admired ; and 

 many attempts are made to retain this beauty, which, when 

 properly preserved and managed, gives elegance to the 

 humblest apartment. 



" Though a few trees may ripen their leaves in August, 



it is not till the middle or last of September that we can 



obtain them in variety ; while even as late as November 



wo must wait for some species. Then, whether we pick 



No. 448.— Vol. SVIL, New Sebieb. 



them from the ground, or cut twigs and branches from the 

 trees, only the most perfect in form, and the clearest in 

 their hues, and the most nicely shaded should be selected, 

 being careful that each leaf has its stem uninjured. 



"As soon as possible after gathering them the leaves 

 must be pressed. If they begin to welt or shrivel before 

 you are ready to press them, put them in water, and keep 

 them there till they revive. See that no soil, no foreign 

 substance of any kind, is on either side, and then with a 

 warm, not hot, A&t iron press and iron each leaf on its 

 upper surface till it is perfectly dry ; spreading it for this 

 pui-pose on several layers of paper, or on an ordinary 

 ironing-board, just as if it were cotton cloth. This over, 

 oil each leaf on the same side on which it was ironed with 

 linseed, olive, or lard oil, using a small camel-hair brush, 

 or a bit of cotton batting tied to a stick, and then place 

 them on dishes in the sunshine to dry. When dry, reject 

 all those that have a semi-transparent or oily appearance ; 

 to prevent this, get the thicke.5t leaves you can for your 

 collection, and do not oil them too generously nor with a 

 rough brush. 



" If you wish to arrange the leaves in boughs, or sprays, 

 or long garlands, procure a few knots of brown worsted, 

 and a quantity of fine wu-e : old bonnet-wire cleared of its 

 covering, or the wire from the heading of old brooms, is of 

 the right size, and very convenient to use. When the oiled 

 leaves are dry, assort the different kinds according to their 

 species — that is, place the .Rock or Sugar Maples together, 

 then the Red or Swamp Maples, the English Elms, the 

 American Elms, the White Oak, the Black Oak, and so on ; 

 because, though several species are allowable in a garland, 

 it would be unnatural to mingle them in sprays or boughs. 

 The only proper way. however, of bringing them together 

 is to bind the various sprays into a large bouquet ; thus 

 the contrasting forms and hues have a good eft'ect. 



" Cut the wire into pieces of different lengths. You will 

 need a great many :5 and 4 inches long, several a foot long, 

 and a fev,' 2 feet "or more, according to the length of the 

 branch or the garland you wish to make. Take the smallest 

 leaves for the tips of the sprays and branches, and follow 

 these with others of larger size, proceeding regularly till 

 you have the largest leaves at the base of the branch ; 

 keeping an e_ye, at the same time, to the agreeable union 

 of varying shades, and studying the marldng and blotching 

 of each leaf, so that it shall have no glaring contrastin its 

 nearest fellows ; and thus, with the greatest variety in the 

 group, the whole are blended harmoniously and pleasantly. 



" Begin your work by attaching all but the very smallest 

 leaves to the short wires, placing the wire beneath the 

 stem, and in such a manner that it strengthens its whole 

 length ; and then wind the worsted around both so closely 

 and tightly that nothing of the stem or wire can be seen. 

 Then take" a small leaf and fasten it in the same way to n. 

 long wire, which is to be the main stalk of a branch. 

 Along this dispose the other leaves naturally : bending the 

 ends of their wires as needed, and covering all together by 

 continuing to wind the worsted as before. Sever:il branch- 

 lets or sprays may thus be gathered on one stalk, forming 

 a large bough or a long garland. Avoid slilfuess and flat- 

 No. IIM.— Vol. XLII.. Old SF.r,iz3. 



