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Pressing' Flowers, Ferns and Grasses.—At 
rliis season of the year, we frequently desire to preserve 
the beautiful flowers which bloom everywhere about 
us, whether in field or garden. The process is an ex¬ 
ceedingly simple one, and does not require a hand- 
press wherewith to accomplish the desired end; but a 
pair of flat irons, a large chair, or even a leg of a 
couch can be made to do duty for it. A number of 
sheets of buff manilla, or common brown paper are, 
however, essential. 
Take care to gather the specimens on a fine day, 
and either just after the dew has dried away, or just 
before it falls. If gathered at noonday, the flowers 
will not keep their colors as well; and if plucked in 
field or meadow, it is well to place them in a tin box 
in order to retain their freshness. 
A good specimen of plant should show every part; 
its root and stem leaves, its flower part, open and in 
bud, and, if possible, its seed and seed vessels in then- 
various stages. 
When the specimens are gathered, take up each 
one singly, and lay it smoothly between two sheets of 
the paper, and place them inside the leaves of a large 
book; do the same with another, and so on until the 
book is fu. r . Now tie a strong string tightly around 
it, and place under flat-irons, or some heavy weight. 
Let the plants stand for twenty-four hours, and then 
change the paper to dry them still more. Do this for 
three or four days, and you will find that they retain 
their color perfectly, and are then ready to put away. 
If tlie plants have thick or woody stems, it is best to 
cut away the under part of them before pressing. 
Stone crops and heaths should be dipped into boiling 
water for three or four minutes, and then dried off 
before pressing—for if this is not done, the succulent 
stems will continue to grow even after being pressed 
in the paper, and spoil their appearance. Berries can 
be dried by being hung up in the air or sun for a fe-w 
days. Ferns can be pressed in the same way as other 
plants ; hut if the fronds should shrivel up before they 
can be placed between the papers to dry, they can he 
put under water for an hour or so, and this will ex¬ 
pand them again. As soon as they are free from 
moisture, hovrever, take care of them. 
The grasses of the fields and meadows, if gathered 
in their first bloom, tied up in bundles, and hung up 
in bunches in a dark closet to dry, heads downward, 
will retain their natural color, and make a lovely addi¬ 
tion to your winter bouquets. Indeed, I think no 
summer vase or bouquet complete without their airy, 
fairy grace, and daily gather them to adorn our sur¬ 
roundings. 
When the ferns and flowers are well pressed, you 
can make them into lovely transparencies by pasting 
them with starch upon coarse cape lace, covering 
them with another piece of lace, and then putting 
them between tiny frames of cardboard; binding the 
edges with green ribbon, you can suspend them from 
your windows. Lamp shades can also be made in the 
same manner, and bouquets can be formed upon paper 
and framed under glass, which will closely resemble 
water-colored paintings.— Co. Gent. 
Drying- Flowers. —Some one of your correspondents 
inquires as to the best method of drying flowers. I 
was in Kentucky last summer, and had some roses 
and specimens of ferns I wished to preserve. I dried 
them in sand—dry and sifted. The ferns I laid flat in 
the box. The roses I stood upright, and sifted the 
sand between the petals, taking care not to spread 
them too much. They dried well, and look better 
than any dried flowers I have seen. 
Springfield, Illinois. Mrs. J. 0. Sloan. 
Gold Spangles.— The following is a simple method 
of making gold spangles of great brilliancy and 
beauty : Take a glass bottle, and brush it over with 
water, in which a little isinglass lias been dissolved by 
boiling; gild this, while still wet, with goldleaf, and 
burnish by rubbing it with a little cotton wool. Over 
the gold lay a coat of copal varnish (in which two or 
three drops of oil have been mixed, to prevent it dry¬ 
ing too quickly,) and place the bottle in a cool cellar 
fortwo days. The varnish andgold may then he chipped 
off with a knife, and will form small glittering flakes, 
which may be used for a variety of purposes. 
Cleaning Jewels.— The best way of cleaning- 
precious stones, especially when set, is to employ a 
composition of two parts hone ashes, or rotten stone, 
very finally powdered with one of sulphur. The 
powders are to be mixed thoroughly, and a little put 
on a piece of leather, with which the surface of the 
mm is to he rubbed, and the stone is then to he brushed 
with a stiff hair brush. This friction with the leather 
and hair brush is to he repeated frequently, until the 
gem has gained the requisite degree of polish. It is 
then to he cleaned with a piece of leather or soft cloth. 
Bleaching Shells.— Fresh-water shells can he 
bleached in a solution of chloride of lime. Wash the 
shells very clean ; then place them in a dish or jar of 
the solution. Put them in the sun, and when they 
are white enough, take them out, wash in pure water, 
and then rub with a flannel, moistened a very- little 
with olive oil. This will give them a handsome gloss. 
Drying Sea Mosses.— Sea mosses can be dried by 
placing them in a soup plate or any shallow dish filled 
with fresh water, and a little hit of alum added to it. 
Float the moss by placing pieces of white paper under 
it, and then take a camel’s hair brush, and arrange 
the fibrous leaves in a natural manner upon the paper 
or card hoard. If thc-moss is very fine, the point of a 
needle wall he useful in preparing it. When the 
specimens are placed to your mind, raise the paper 
carefully so that the moss will not he disturbed, and let 
it rest in a slanting position, so that the water can 
run off. When still damp, place an old hit of soft 
linen over it, and press in blotting paper. Let it re¬ 
main under heavy pressure until dry. With pink and 
green sea-weeds one can represent lovely moss rose¬ 
buds, and also other flowers. 
Birds. —A case of beautiful birds, some fifty kinds, 
is another ornament which would he pretty in any 
home, and add much to its interest. To make this, 
first prepare your birds according to directions in 
Taxidermy. At the bottom of your case place a 
quantity of dried grass in a natural position, being 
dyed in green analine and fastened with a common 
glue. In the centre, where the birds are attached 
upon it with wire, place the limb or branch of tree in 
an upright position, having it first nicely varnished 
; and also the feet and hacks of the birds. A little taste 
should he displayed in the arrangement of these birds. 
For instance, the larger ones near the bottom and 
central branches, always placing the swimmers— 
natatores —and waders — grallatores —at the bottom on 
the grass, and the tiny ones scattered about on the 
outer and upper twigs as space and taste may dictate. 
A hawk or owl, though large, perched upon the top¬ 
most and central bough, looking down upon the 
others, has a pleasing effect .—Hope Evermore. 
Discolored Silks.— To restore to silk the color that 
had been removed by acid. Apply to the place a 
little hartshorn or sal-volatile. 
Washing Prints. —Wash prints in flour starch with¬ 
out soap; rinse in cold water and dry in the shade. It 
will not injure the brightest, colors. Try the experi- 
ment. 
Fastening Shells. —The easiest way to fasten shells 
or anything else on frames or boxes is to take whiting, 
linseed oil and dry chrome green, and make a putty of 
a color to suit ; pound it with a hammer until there are 
no streaks of green or white in it; have it just thick 
enough so it will not run; then spread it smoothly over 
one side of the frame a little less than one-eighth of an 
inch thick; put on the things and then spread putty on 
another side. When the frame is dry, varnish it, and 
when it is thoroughly dry it will he as solid as any one 
could desire. 
An Elder Cross. —I have a cross about ten inches in 
length made of the pith of elder, sewed on black vel¬ 
veteen. Three pieces for the main cross pieces; at the 
corner a how made of the elder, and fastened by pins, 
the heads add to its appearance; cut the elder into about 
| quarter of an inch or smaller pieces and fasten on with 
pins to the main part, as fancy dictates. Behind a 
frame hung on the wall, it makes a very pretty orna¬ 
ment. We obtained the elder pith by making a rod of 
| wood and pushing the elder through. I would like to 
; know how to make the elder more pliable. A hairpin 
cushion is indispensible to the toilet. Mine is knit of 
red and white Germantown wool, with a collar box to 
! 7 
hold the combings, the knit cover drawn over it, tied 
j with a string and tassles loose enough to slip up, a 
border two inches wide resting on the table for a watch- 
holder. * 
Dyeing Dresses. —Directions to dye a blue delaine 
dress brown or dark green. The domestic dyes, sold 
by druggists and grocers, may answer the purpose. 
Yet I would not like to attempt to dye anything that 
was of value in my eyes. An experienced dyer can 
make old things look “ amaist as weel’s the new,” hut 
raw hands usually make a failure. 
New Process for Cleaning Pictures.— It is well 
known that it is very difficult to remove the old var¬ 
nish from pictures without injuring the delicate lines 
beneath. The new system consists in simply spread¬ 
ing a coating of copaiba balsam on the old painting, 
and then keeping it, face downward, over a dish of the 
same size filled with cold alcohol, at an altitude of 
about three feet. The vapors of the liquid impart to 
the copaiba a degree of semi-fluidity, in which state it 
easily amalgamates with the varnish it covers. Tiius 
the original brilliancy and transparency are regained 
without injuring the oil-painting. After the picture 
has been hung up for two or three days, it looks as if 
it had been varnished afresh. 
Skeleton Leaves. —Take three ounces of carbonate 
of soda, one and a half of quick iime previously slaked, 
and one quart of water. Boil ten minutes, and draw 
off the clear solution. Return this to the fire, with the 
leaves, and boil briskly one hour, or till the epidermis 
and parenchyma separate easily. This can be done 
by rubbing between the fingers, in clear water. A 
slower process is to keep tire leaves in water until all 
except the fibre decays. To bleach the leaves, mix a 
drachm of chlorate of iime with a pint, of water and a 
little acetic acid. Steep the leaves in this about ten 
minutes, simmer, and place in hooks to press. Leaves 
with strong fibre, as the pear and ivy, are best. 
Ferns, striped 
nicely. 
grasses, and some rose leaves, do 
