370 THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



When they have been in a state of putrefaction for some time, 

 the two membranes will begin to separate, and the green part of the 

 leaf to become fluid ; then the operation of clearing is to be per- 

 formed. 



The leaf is to be put in a flat white earthen plate, and covered 

 with clear water ; and being gently squeezed with the finger, the 

 membranes will begin to open, and the green substance will come 

 out of the edges. The membranes must be carefully taken off with 

 the finger, and great caution must be used in separating them near 

 the middle rib. When once there is an opening towards this sepa- 

 ration, the whole membrane always follows easily. When both 

 membranes are taken off the skeleton is finished, and it is to be 

 washed clean with water, and then dried between the leaves of a 

 book. 



Fruits are divested of their pulp and made into skeletons in a 

 different manner. Take, for instance, a fine large pear, which is 

 soft, and not tough ; let it be neatly pared without squeezing it, and 

 without injuring either the crown or the stalk ; put it in a pot of 

 rain-water, covered, set it over the fire, and let it boil gently till 

 perfectly soft, then take it out and lay it in a dish filled with cold 

 water ; then holding it by the stalk with one hand, rub off as much 

 of the pulp as you can with the finger and thumb, beginning at the 

 stalk, and rubbing it regularly towards the crown. 



The fibres are most tender towards the extremities, and there- 

 fore to be treated with great care there. 



When the pulp has thus been cleared pretty well off, the point 

 of a fine penknife may be of use to pick away the pulp sticking to 

 the core. In order to see how the operation advances, the soiled 

 water must be thrown away from time to time, and clean poured on 

 in its place. When the pulp is in this manner perfectly separated, 

 the clean skeleton is to be preserved in spirits of wine. This method 

 may be pursued with the bark of trees, which afford interesting 

 views of their constituent fibres. 



These simple preparations not only form elegant ornaments, but 

 they are extremely useful to the student in botany, more interesting 

 and more readily comprehended than drawings of the anatomy of 

 plants. Attempts have been made to inject coloured liquids into 

 the delicate and minute vessels of vegetables, and we believe it has 

 partially succeeded. The present season of the year is propitious 

 for making leaf skeletons, and we recommend our young readers to 

 follow our directions. 



