376 ] Trees and How to Know Them 



Relief for Poison Ivy: A thorough washing with heavy suds 

 (preferably yellow soap) is an old precaution if you suspect that 

 you have been exposed to these plants. Several preparations are 

 available in drugstores to treat cases of poison ivy, in which red- 

 ness and burning of the skin is followed by the appearance of 

 small white blisters. When commercial preparations were not at 

 hand, I have used a mixture of half a cup of vinegar and a tea- 

 spoon of salt with success. Dabbed on frequently, this relieves the 

 itch and tends to dry up the blisters. 



Making Leaf Collections 



Children, as we know, are avid collectors; and collecting leaves 

 often provides a completely satisfying outlet for this instinct. They 

 can obtain foliage of many kinds of trees in late summer and early 

 fall by simply picking the leaves off the ground. To preserve them, 

 place each leaf between sheets of newspaper, with several sheets 

 above and more below, and with a heavy weight on top of the pile. 

 In a few days the leaf will be dried out and flattened so that it can 

 be fastened in a scrapbook with narrow strips of cellophane tape. 



How TO MAKE SPATTER PRINTS 



Older boys and girls may enjoy the more elaborate process 

 of making leaf prints. There are several methods. One of them 

 is the "blueprint" made like the fern prints described on page 

 337. Possibly the simplest method is the spatter print, which re- 

 quires the use of ink, a toothbrush, a small piece of wire screen- 

 ing (or a thin stick) , sheets of paper, and fresh not dried leaves. 

 First place the leaf on a sheet of paper and pin it down abso- 

 lutely flat. Then dip the toothbrush into the ink, remove it and 

 allow the surplus to drain back into the bottle. Now, working 

 from side to side and from top to bottom of the paper, hold the 

 brush a few inches above it and rub the bristles against the wire 

 screening (or stick) to spatter the ink. Scrape the bristles toward 

 you as this throws the ink in the opposite direction. (It may be a 

 good idea to have the youngster practice this stroke several times 

 before trying it with ink.) 



