THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
15 
and loose evergreens, come roping, 
wreaths, stars and other emblems. 
It is estimated that to decorate an 
averaged-sized sitting room or parlor 
Fig. 2. 
with first-class roping, wreaths, stars, 
and crosses, will cost from $3.50 to $4, 
and to my mind there is nothing prettier 
than a tastily decorated room at Christ- 
mas time. 
This Christmas the aesthetic sunflower 
and peacock feathers will be extensively 
used, in combination with holiday deco- 
rations, also chromo pallettes and 
plaques, now so much in vogue. When 
decorating a room, particular attention 
should be paid to portraits of relations and 
friends that are deceased; these should 
receive marked tributes of greenery. 
In purchasing evergreen emblems be 
sure to avoid everything that contains 
those abominable tissue-paper roses; 
also look out for wreaths, etc., contain- 
ing the panicles of the terribly poison- 
ous sumac berries, of which I saw many 
hundreds in Washington Market last 
year.* There are also many wreaths 
for sale in the market, composed of a 
light-grey lichen, which, as soon as it be- 
comes dry, also becomes very brittle, and 
falls away. To increase the effectiveness 
of these wreaths, they are often dyed 
* Since writing this article a ease of very severe 
poisoning from the poison sumac, is reported 
from New Jersey. A lady, when decorating a 
church for the annual Autumn services, handled 
some of these poisonous plants, and was so se- 
verely injured that her life was endangered. In a 
future number we will give such descriptions and 
cuts of these poisonous plants as will enable our 
readers to readily recognize and avoid them. 
with cheap aniline dyes. One of the most 
effective, and at the same time ingenious 
ways of ornamentation, in conjunction 
with Christmas greens, that I know of, is 
the use of tissue-i)aper banners. These 
can be got up at a slight cost, and in de- 
signing them, all that is artistic and 
graceful in form, design, combination of 
colors and materials, can be displayed by 
the designer. These banners may be pa- 
triotic or religious, or they may contain 
mottos and emblems significant of Christ- 
mas, or home mottoes, such as " Welcome 
to All," "Welcome Home," "Love One 
Another," etc., etc. The materials used 
being the best quality of tissue paper of 
the rnost brilliant colors, gold leaf and 
silver leaf— dutch metal will answer every 
purpose, and comes much cheaper than 
the real metals. Silver and gold papers 
are used for lettering and fringes, also 
blue and crimson paper for lettering. 
For staffs use painted dahlia sticks, 
which may be procured at any seed store ; 
top them off with a pine cone touched 
up with gold leaf. 
Fig. 3. 
When using small wax tapers for illu- 
minating the Christmas tree, the greatest 
of care must be taken when lighting them 
not to set the tree on fire, as it must be 
borne in mind that after a few days in a 
hot room these trees become very com- 
bustible, and flash up so quickly that not 
the least warning is given before the lace 
