﻿October, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  381 
  

  

  Affixing 
  the 
  Stencil 
  to 
  the 
  Apple 
  

  

  cess. 
  With 
  practise 
  much 
  more 
  elaborate 
  pictures 
  may 
  be 
  

   undertaken, 
  and 
  these, 
  if 
  well 
  done, 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  striking. 
  

   A 
  skilful 
  professional 
  has 
  recently 
  produced 
  some 
  examples 
  

   of 
  high 
  artistic 
  merit. 
  These 
  have 
  embraced 
  quite 
  delightful 
  

   country 
  scenes, 
  views 
  of 
  houses, 
  ships, 
  all 
  delineated 
  with 
  a 
  

   clearness 
  that 
  is 
  amazing. 
  

  

  On 
  a 
  fine 
  day 
  when 
  the 
  apples 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  

   put 
  stencils 
  have 
  attained 
  to 
  their 
  full 
  size, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  actual 
  

   development 
  is 
  concerned, 
  the 
  paper 
  bags 
  may 
  be 
  removed. 
  

   This 
  must 
  be 
  accomplished 
  with 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  care, 
  as 
  on 
  

   no 
  account 
  should 
  the 
  fruit 
  be 
  roughly 
  handled 
  or 
  it 
  will 
  

   resent 
  the 
  treatment 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  ugly 
  brown 
  patches. 
  If 
  

   all 
  has 
  gone 
  well 
  the 
  apples 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  clear 
  green 
  color, 
  

   very 
  much 
  lighter 
  in 
  fact 
  than 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  if 
  they 
  

   had 
  been 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  light. 
  Any 
  specimen 
  with 
  a 
  blemish 
  

   or 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  grown 
  properly 
  should, 
  of 
  course, 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   carded. 
  All 
  is 
  now 
  ready 
  for 
  placing 
  the 
  stencils 
  into 
  position. 
  

   Many 
  kinds 
  of 
  adhesives 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  affixing 
  the 
  

  

  paper 
  designs, 
  ranging 
  from 
  the 
  saliva 
  of 
  snails 
  down 
  to 
  pure 
  

   gum. 
  Most 
  people 
  will 
  probably 
  prefer 
  to 
  adopt 
  the 
  last 
  

   named. 
  The 
  outward 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  apple 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  upon 
  which 
  

   to 
  place 
  the 
  stencil, 
  as 
  this 
  is 
  sure 
  to 
  turn 
  the 
  brightest 
  red 
  

   from 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  receiving 
  more 
  sunshine. 
  Spread 
  a 
  small 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  whatever 
  sticky 
  solution 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  over 
  the 
  

   back 
  of 
  the 
  paper 
  design, 
  and 
  then 
  put 
  it 
  on 
  to 
  its 
  place. 
  If 
  

   not 
  quite 
  straight 
  at 
  first 
  work 
  it 
  gently 
  into 
  its 
  true 
  position 
  

   with 
  the 
  fingers. 
  Now 
  wipe 
  the 
  whole 
  upper 
  surface 
  with 
  a 
  

   soft 
  cloth, 
  being 
  sure 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  wrinkles 
  in 
  the 
  paper. 
  

   This 
  last 
  is 
  very 
  important, 
  as 
  anything 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  will 
  tend 
  

   to 
  spoil 
  the 
  symmetry 
  of 
  the 
  figure. 
  

  

  When 
  all 
  the 
  apples 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  treat 
  have 
  been 
  

   taken 
  in 
  hand, 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  more 
  to 
  do 
  for 
  the 
  moment 
  

   but 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  hopes 
  that 
  one 
  may 
  be 
  blessed 
  with 
  a 
  spell 
  of 
  

   bright 
  hot 
  weather. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  likely 
  that 
  a 
  shower 
  of 
  heavy 
  

   rain 
  may 
  wash 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  stencils 
  from 
  their 
  place 
  alto- 
  

   gether. 
  If 
  this 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  so, 
  the 
  gardener 
  may 
  well 
  pray 
  that 
  

   it 
  will 
  take 
  place 
  as 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  designs 
  have 
  been 
  put 
  into 
  

   position 
  as 
  possible. 
  Then 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  an 
  impossible 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  to 
  stick 
  them 
  on 
  again, 
  as 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  light 
  will 
  have 
  

   scarcely 
  as 
  yet 
  taken 
  effect. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  an 
  unheard 
  

  

  Removing 
  the 
  Stencil 
  — 
  the 
  Finished 
  Portrait 
  

  

  Making 
  the 
  Stencil 
  

  

  of 
  circumstance 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  stencils 
  should 
  be 
  loosened 
  

   by 
  rain 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  on 
  some 
  time. 
  Then, 
  indeed, 
  

   it 
  is 
  well 
  nigh 
  useless 
  to 
  attempt 
  anything 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  a 
  

   replacing. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  nearly 
  as 
  difficulty 
  a 
  matter 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  

   resetting 
  of 
  a 
  photographic 
  print 
  in 
  a 
  frame 
  which 
  has 
  al- 
  

   lowed 
  the 
  paper 
  to 
  slip. 
  The 
  result 
  would 
  be 
  almost 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  of 
  a 
  failure. 
  

  

  But 
  if 
  all 
  is 
  well 
  and 
  the 
  garden 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  full 
  share 
  of 
  

   sunshine 
  the 
  stencils 
  on 
  the 
  apples 
  should 
  be 
  ready 
  for 
  re- 
  

   moving 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  weeks. 
  By 
  their 
  general 
  appearance 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  apples 
  are 
  in 
  a 
  ripe 
  condition, 
  and 
  each 
  one 
  

   may 
  be 
  then 
  carefully 
  gathered. 
  With 
  a 
  basin 
  of 
  warm 
  

   water 
  and 
  a 
  soft 
  cloth, 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  fruit 
  is 
  quickly 
  

   relieved 
  of 
  any 
  portion 
  of 
  paper 
  which 
  seems 
  inclined 
  to 
  

   adhere. 
  Then 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  business 
  is 
  made 
  clear. 
  

   The 
  closed-in 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  stencil 
  stand 
  up 
  in 
  clear 
  yellow 
  

   against 
  the 
  bright 
  crimson 
  of 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  apple, 
  and 
  the 
  

   principal 
  points 
  of 
  the 
  design 
  are 
  strongly 
  marked 
  out 
  in 
  

   red. 
  The 
  apples 
  may 
  now 
  be 
  stored 
  away 
  for 
  use 
  as 
  required. 
  

  

  Apples 
  are 
  not 
  alone 
  among 
  fruit 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  treated 
  

   in 
  this 
  manner. 
  Some 
  success 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  

   achieved 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  peaches. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  found, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  the 
  rough 
  skin 
  of 
  this 
  fruit 
  is 
  less 
  easy 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  as 
  

   regards 
  the 
  fastening 
  of 
  the 
  stencil, 
  and 
  the 
  design 
  when 
  

   printed 
  does 
  not 
  stand 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  sharpness 
  shown 
  in 
  apples. 
  

  

  