COLLECTING AND PRESERVING. 185 



floor and standing upon it for a few seconds. Soft book-paper 

 is the best. Previous to using it, place a few sheets between 

 damp blotting-paper, which causes it to take the ink still more 

 readily. At first you will find that you lay on too much ink. 

 If the impression is too black, use the leaf again. If the mid- 

 rib of the leaf is too thick, it must be shaved down with a 

 sharp knife. 



3. Leaf-Prints. (Engle.) 1. A small ink-roller, such as 

 printers use for inking type. 2. A quantity of printers' green 

 ink. 3. A pane of stout window-glass (the larger the better) 

 fastened securely to an evenly planed board twice the size of the 

 glass. A small quantity of the ink is put on the glass and 

 spread with a knife, after which it is distributed evenly by 

 going over in all directions with the ink-roller. When this has 

 been carefully done, the leaf to be copied is laid on a piece of 

 waste paper and inked by applying the roller once or twice with 

 moderate pressure. This leaves a film of ink on the veins and 

 network of the leaf, and by placing it on a piece of blank paper 

 and applying considerable pressure for a few moments the work 

 is done, and when the leaf is lifted from the paper the impress 

 remains with all its delicate tracery, faithful in color and out- 

 line to the original. 



To make the ink of proper consistency, add several drops of 

 balsam copaiba to a salt-spoonful of ink. In case the leaf sticks, 

 the ink is too thick. 



SKELETONIZING PLANTS. I. By Maceration. Place the 

 leaves in water and allow them to remain in the same water for 

 from 3 to 4 months, until the soft matter decays, and the stem 

 may be taken in the hand and the refuse shaken away. There 

 remains behind a network or skeleton of the original object, 

 which can be bleached with a little lime. Leaves and pods 

 may both be treated satisfactorily in this manner. The pod of 

 the "Jimson weed" or Datura Stramonium is a favorite for 

 this purpose. 



2. By Chemicals. Chloride of lime, pound ; washing 

 soda, i pound. Put the soda into \% pints boiling water 

 (rainwater is best) and let it thoroughly dissolve. Put the 



