AMERICAN MUSEUM GUIDE LEAFLETS 



but each blade from a short distance above the base is rolled about a wire 

 and several blades are then attached to a heavier wire stem. 

 [^J In making cactus, the spines are removed and a piece mold made of 

 the plant or of the various branches. In the case of such a form as the 

 barrel cactus, the body is often made hollow to save wax and while still 

 in the mold, backed with a lining of plaster and burlap. 



WAX FLOWERS 

 Success in making artificial flowers depends largely upon ingenuity 



A SPRAY OF DOGWOOD 

 A Very Simple Flower 



in the application of a few general principles, though to make small 

 flowers on an extensive scale necessitates the use of dies, such as are 

 shown in the cut and unfortunately, the making of dies calls for the 

 services of an expert machinist. Large or medium-sized flowers, poppies, 

 for example, can be made without any special appliances. 



The first step is always to dismember the natural flower in order to 

 determine its construction, and ordinarily it will be found to consist of a 

 central bulb-like pistil surrounded by slender stamens, a set of petals 



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