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A GYPSY FERN CASE. 
The Fern Case illustrated on this page is a perfect 
gem for any parlor table. It is triangular at the base, 
and consists of three bars crossed at the top. A 
basket is suspended from me centre of the case, and 
the base is decorated with shells, acorns, or cork. The 
best method of making such a case as this is to have 
the base first made ot wood, and then have it lined 
inside with zinc. The sides should hold glass neatly 
fitted into the bars, thus enclosing the plants from the 
outer air. The height should be about three feet, and 
width of base two feet on each side. Any florist can 
supply ferns for such a structure , choose only the 
smaller growing sorts, and avoid those which branch 
widely. No household elegancy is more desirable 
than a tasteful fernery well taken care of. 
is the first requisite; it must be made of thin deal, 
four inches deep, and five in width. At the extremi¬ 
ties of the top glue two pieces of oak about half an 
inch high, and one-quarter of an inch thick, for 
bridges, to which the strings are to be fixed; within 
the box, at each end, glue two pieces of beech wood, 
about an inch square, and the width of the box. Into 
one of the bridges fix seven pegs, such as are used for 
piano strings; into the other bridge fasten the same 
number of small brass pins; and to those pins fix one 
end of the strings, made of small catgut, and twist 
the other end of the string round the pegs ; then tune 
them in unison. Place over the top of the string a 
PRETTY ORNAMENT FOR THE SITTING 
ROOM. 
A correspondent of the Journal of the Farm relates 
how she constructed some simple, yet very pleasing 
ornaments, out of the simplest materials. “I took a 
common glass tumbler, and covered it with moss, 
leaving it uncovered at each end, and fastened it in its 
place by a piece of sewing cotton tied around it at 
hath ends. The moss covered the threads audit did 
not mar its beauty in the least. I next got a saucer 
and covered it with dried moss, glued on. In this 1 
set the tumbler, and filling it and the remaining space 
in the saucer with loose earth from the woods, I 
planted the former with a variety of ferns, and the 
latter, with wood violets. On the edge of the glass I 
jdanted some ivy, and some of the nameless little ever¬ 
green vine, which bears red (scarlet) ber¬ 
ries, and whose dark, glossy, ivy-like 
foliage, trailing over the fresh blue and 
white of the violets, had a beautiful effect. 
“ My next plan was t o fill a rather deep 
plate with some of the nameless, but 
beautiful, silvery and light green, and 
delicate pink mosses, which are met with 
iu profusion in till the swamps and mar¬ 
shes. This can be kept fresh and beau¬ 
tiful as long as you do not neglect to 
water it profusely ouce a day. It must, 
of course, lie placed in the shade or the 
moss will blanch and die. 
“ In the centre of this I placed a clump 
of large azure violets, whose beautiful 
foliage 1 esteem an ornament within itself; 
adding some curious lichens and pretty 
fungous growths from the barks of forest 
trees, and a few cones, shells, and peb¬ 
bles, my ornament was complete. 
“ The construction of these and other things of a like 
nature, would he a pleasant diversion for many a care¬ 
worn housewife, together with a walk to the woods 
for the purpose of collecting the materials. They 
will remain fresh and bright a long while, and as 
a ‘ thing of beauty is a joy forever,’ they will he a 
‘lingering pleasure and delight,’ reminding all who 
see them of the rare green woods.” 
HOW TO MAKE AN iEOLIAN HARP. 
The seolian harp produces a very pleasing, melodi¬ 
ous sound, especially iu the open air, and is not dif¬ 
ficult to construct. A long narrow box, the length of 
a window, or the portion in which it is to be placed, 
A G-ypsy Fern Case. 
thin hoard, supported by four pegs, and about three 
inches from the sounding-board, to procure a free pas¬ 
sage for the wind. The harp should be exposed to 
the wind at a partly open window; to increase the 
draught of air, the door, or an opposite window in the 
room, should be open. The strings in a current of air 
sound in unison, and with the increasing or decreasing 
force of the current, the melody changes into pleasing, 
soft, low sounds and diatonic scales, which unite and 
occasionally form very delightful musical tones. If 
the harp can be placed in a suitable position, so as to 
receive sufficient draught of air, in a grotto, or 
romantically situated arbor, or hidden in some shady 
nook near a waterfall, the eftect of its sweet sounds is 
very charming. 
RUSTIC FRAMES. 
Cousin Emma writes the Rural New Yorker how 
she constructed some very pretty and tasteful rustic 
frames, which will suit those who have but little 
means to purchase the more costly. 
“ One, which I have just completed, is made in the 
following way: Take a piece of black-walnut and 
and plane off some smooth shavings, of medium thick¬ 
ness. Take a strip one-fourth of an inch in width and 
with a pair of small scissors divide it into sections half 
an inch in length. Round off one end of these pieces, 
and, having the foundation of your frame ready, fasten 
them on securely with glue, either in straight rows or 
iu any form you desire. For the corners take some 
thin shavings, cut the pieces wider, lay two little 
plaits iu the straight end, to make them resemble 
leaves. Take a small, round bit of cloth, sew the 
leaves around it, making narrower ones as you work 
towards tlie center, where you may finish off with a 
listlo tuft of very thin, fine shavings. Here you have 
a perfect rose, which fasten on the corner, filling, up 
the interstices. This, when varnished, makes a really 
rich-looking frame. 
“ Another way is to cover the surface of your frame 
thickly with cherry buds. This way is particularly 
suitable for oval frames,-and looks well against light 
paper, varnish giving them a very dark color. For a 
sm 11 fancy box nothing can be prettier than these 
bud , r using the middle of the cover slightly with 
small, knotty twigs, with the buds thickly filled iu; 
then paint the whole with a mixture of red sealing 
wax and alcohol. This lias the appearance of coral, 
an 1 is very beautiful. 
For another frame I went to a pile of lath and 
selected some dark strips which, when planed, looked 
like black-walnut. Measuring oil' the size of my 
glass, I allowed tlie ends to extend an 
inch and a half each way, then hollowed 
them out, leaving the corners rather 
pointed. Having prepared the groove 
and fastened the frame together, I next 
visited tlie grapevine and cut off a 
quantity of its stiff, curling tendrils. 
These were glued through the center of 
the frame in the form of a vine ; then I 
finished it off with acorns of different 
sizes, grouping them thickly at tlie 
corners and taking care to fasten them 
very close to the vine. 
‘ 1 An oval cone-frame, ornamented with 
a similar vine, is much admired. 
“Always make the foundation of frames 
of wood, as pasteboard is certain to 
warp ; and be careful to varnish properly, 
if you wish your work to look nicely. 
If any one has invented any new tiling 
I should be pleased to hear about it.” 
How to Get a Tight Ring off a Finger.— 
Thread a needle flat in tlie eye with strong thread; 
pass the head of the needle, with care, under the ring, 
and pull the thread through a few inches towards the 
hand; wrap tlie long end of the thread tightly around 
the finger, regularly all down to the nail, to reduce its 
size. Then lay hold of tlie short end of the thread 
and unwind it. The thread pressing against the 
ring will gradually remove it from the finger. This 
never-failing method will remove the tightest .ring 
without difficulty, however much swollen the finger 
may be. 
