112 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
evaporation will take place; therefore, 
the water should be replenished at inter- 
vals, care being taken that what is sup- 
plied is not lower in temperature than 
that in the glass. The foliage of the 
plant should be kept scrupulously free 
from dust or dirt ; a small piece of 
sponge being used for this purpose will 
do the work nicely and without injury to 
the plant if care be taken in the handling. 
When the flower spikes begin to show 
themselves the glasses should be kept 
filled with water to the brim, as at the 
point of flowering the bulbs absorb a 
great deal of moisture. The reader need 
hardly be reminded that when the 
glasses are once brought into the lighted 
room, the temperature of the room should 
be kept as even as possible. 
Bulbs may be put down during the 
early part of November, but it is better to 
get them down in October when conven- 
ient. Fine plants, however, have been 
raised when the bulbs have been placed 
as late as December. 
We should like very much to hear from 
some of our readers who have had experi- 
ence in the culture of hyacinths, as we are 
sure the subject is one that will be inter- 
esting to most of our subscribers. 
An Autumn Leaf Lamp Shade. 
'T^HE design for a lamp shade, Fig. 1, 
consists of a central group of either 
maple or oak leaves that have been thor- 
oughly dried and pressed. The fine line 
border is composed of small wood ferns 
and parts of ferns, and smilax. The 
body of the frame consists of heavy but 
finely perforated cardboard. The dried 
autumn leaves and ferns are fastened 
to the cardboard by applying a thin 
coating of well cooked and thick starch 
to the backs of the leaves, in as small 
a quantity as i:>ossible, so as to avoid 
all spreading of the starch beyond the 
margins of the leaves, and the conse- 
Fig. 2. 
quent disfigurement of the cardboard. 
After the leaves are in position, the card- 
board is placed between the leaves of a 
book on which weights are placed to 
obtain extra pressure. When the leaves 
have become thoroughly pressed and 
dried, a thin coat of furniture or other 
varnish is applied to both sides of the 
board. A frame, consisting of wire of 
tJie thickness of that Tised on hay, is 
shaped as shown at Fig. 2. The ends 
of the wire are brought together at 
B, and are bound with fine wire. That 
part of the wire which forms a circle 
Fig. 1. 
LAMP SHADE. 
