btrrSsi 
Tie ^flukes' lf[or'a,t HKmEbiet iintl Pictorial fiooie Sompariion, 
IT 
){|4 JhrfcW llfxqk Jiitdbi 
Skeleton Leaves.— S. E. D. asks for directions for 
preparing skeleton leaves. The following receipt is 
from the Boston Journal of Chemistry :—‘'Leaves to 
be skeletonized should be gathered only in dry weather; 
should also be perfectly matured, July and August 
being the best months to gather them. Among the 
choicest varieties are vine, poplar, beech and ivy 
leaves. Dissolve four ounces of washing soda in one 
quart of boiling water; add two ounces of slacked 
quick-lime, and boil fifteen minutes; allow this to 
cool; then pour off the clear liquor into a clean sauce¬ 
pan, and when at the boiling point place the leaves iu 
carefully and boil one hour; boiling water should bo 
added occasionally to supply that lost by evaporation. 
If after boiling one hour the cellular tissue does not 
rub off between the thumb and finger, boil them till 
it will, always placing the leaves in cold water to 
separate the fleshy matter from the skeleton. Bleach 
the skeletons by putting them in a solution of one 
quart of water, one large tablespoonful of chloride of 
lime, and a few drops of vinegar; let them remain in 
twenty minutes and then remove, and dry between 
sheets of white blotting paper, beneath a gentle pres¬ 
sure. Jennie L. Jaycox. 
Onondaga Co., hi. Y. 
To Press Flowers.— Procure two boards 12x18 
inches and a large lot of old newspapers, folded and 
cut to the size of the boards. Lay upon the floor one 
of tho boards, and on it place two or three newspapers. 
Now lay on tho plant to be pressed, add another news¬ 
paper and then the. next plant, and so on till all the 
specimens in hand aro disposed of. On top of all 
place tho other board, upon which place a weight of 
not less than sixty pounds. The papers between the 
plants should be changed at least once a day for fresh 
ones, so that the plants may dry as rapidly as possible. 
Caro should bo taken not to remove the plant from 
tho press until thoroughly dry. It is more convenient, 
especially with delicate plants, to place them in the 
press between a single fold of soft brown wrapping 
paper, as the plant can be left in this fold till dry, 
and the specimen may be transferred to fresh papers 
without danger of in;j ury. Yery fleshy succulent plants 
can best be dried by immersing them in boiling water 
before putting them into the press. The specimens, 
to look well when dry, should be gathered upon a dry 
day; and, to bo of value, should represent the flower, 
the leaves, and in small plants, the root. When pos¬ 
sible the fruit should also be gathered. It is especially 
necessary to have the fruit accompany the specimens 
of the mustard, pulse and parsley families. When 
gathering specimens, they may be kept fresh by 
placing them in a close tin box, or a large tin pan, or 
they may be snugly wrapped in a moistened newspa¬ 
per .—Maine Farmer. 
To Make Linen Waterproof, pass the linen first 
through a bath of one part of sulphate of alumina in 
ten parts of water, then through a soap bath, of which 
the soap is prepared by boiling one part of light- 
colored rosin and one of crystallized carbonate of soda 
with ten parts of water until the rosin is dissolved. 
The rosin soap thus formed is to bo separated by the 
addition of one-third of common salt. In the soap 
bath the rosin soap is dissolved, together with one 
part of soda soap, by boiling it in thirty parts of "water. 
From this bath pass the articles finally through-water, 
then dry and calender. Made-up articles may be 
brushed with the solutions in succession and be rinsed 
in the rain. Wooden vessels may be employed. 
To Mako Violet Oil-Pigment for printing fabrics, 
pour alcoholic solution of violet aniline B. B. upon 
finely-powdered chalk in a saucer, stir well with a rod, 
and allow it to dry on a hot plate or in the stove, then 
stir to a powder, and again simply moisten it with the 
aniline solution; dry again, pulverize, and preserve in 
a dry place. For use, rub some with zinc-white, ac¬ 
cording to the shade desired. The pigment is rich, 
and prints well, but is not permanent in the air with 
ordinary usage, and the best B. B. must therefore bo 
employed, of greenish cast, like diamond fuchsinc. 
With this the oil color wears as well as much more 
expensive ones. 
Crushed Velvet. —Treat as you would crape. 
Steam on the right side until heated through. If 
very badly crushed, wet on tho wrong side; let an 
assistant bold a hot iron, bottom upward, and pass 
the wet side of the velvet slowly over the flat surface— 
a sort of upside down ironing. When tho steam rises 
thickly through to the right side, it will raise the pile 
with it. Dry without handling. 
Pressing Flowers, Ferns, and Grasses. —At 
this 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 
exceedingly simple one, and does not require a hand 
press wherewith to accomplish the desired end; but a 
pair of flat irons, a largo chair, or even a leg of a 
couch can be made to do duty for it. A number of 
sheets of buff manila, or common brown paper are, 
however, essential. Take care to gather tho specimens 
on a fine day, and either just after the dew has dried 
away or j ust 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 a plant should show every part—its 
root and stem, leaves, its flower part open and in bud, 
and, if possible, its seed-vessels in their various stages. 
When the specimens are gathered, take up each one 
singly and lay it smoothly between two sheets of tho 
paper, and place them inside the leaves of a large 
book; do the same with another, and so on till the 
book is full. Now tie a strong string tightly around 
it, and place the book under flat irons, or some heavy 
weight. Let tho 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 the 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 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 few days. Ferns can be pressed the same 
way as other plants; but if tho fronds should shrivel 
up before they can be placed between the papers to 
dry, they can be put under water for an hour or so, 
and this will expand them again. As soon as they 
are free from moisture, however, 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 addition 
to your winter bouquets. Indeed, I think no summer 
vase or bouquet complete without their airy, fairy 
grace, and I daily gather them to adorn our surround¬ 
ings. 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 bo formed 
upon paper and framed under glass, which will closely 
resemble water-colored paintings. 
Daisey Eyebexght, in Canada Farmer. 
A Floral Decoration. —A writer suggests a new 
idea for floral decoration, which it seems may readily 
bo put in practice. An ordinary earthen flower pot is 
filled with water, the hole in tho bottom, of course, 
being closed, and allowed to stand until its porous 
sides aro completely soaked. Tho water is then 
thrown out and the pot is repeatedly dipped until it 
will absorb no more, and its outside becomes thor¬ 
oughly wet. On the outer surface fine seed is thickly 
sprinkled and allowed to remain sticking thereto. 
Tho pot is then refilled with water and set in the 
shade under a bell glass. In a short time the seeds 
will germinate and throw out shoots, so that to pre¬ 
vent their falling from tho sides of the pot, some thread 
or wire must bo repeatedly wound round the exterior 
of the latter. Eventually the entire vessel will be¬ 
come a mass of living vegetation, which is nourished 
by the percolation of the water contained within 
through the porous sides. 
Coloring Grasses. —There are few prettier orna¬ 
ments, and none more economical and lasting, than 
bouquets of native grasses, mingled with the various 
Gnaplialium, or unchangeable flowers. They have 
but one fault; and that is, the want of other colors 
besides yellow and drab, or brown. To vary their 
shade, artificially, these flowers are sometimes dyed 
green. This, however, is in bad taste, and unnatural. 
Tho best effect is produced by blending rose and red 
tints, together with a very little pale blue, with the 
grasses and flowers, as they dry naturally. Tho best 
means of dyeing dried leaves, flowers and grasses is 
simply to dip them into tho spirituous liquid solution 
of the various compounds of aniline. Some of these 
have a beautiful rose shade; others red, blue, orange 
and purple. Tho depth of color can be regulated by 
diluting, if necessary, the original dyes with methyl or 
spirit, down to tho shade desired. When taken out of 
the dye they should be exposed to the air to dry 
off the spirit. They then require arranging, or 
setting into form, as when wet, the petals and fine 
filaments have a tendency to cling together, which 
should not be. A pink saucer, as sold by most drug¬ 
gists at sixpence each, will supply enough rose dye 
for two ordinary bouquets. The druggists also supply 
the simple dyes of aniline of various colors, at the 
same cost. The pink saucer yields the best rose dye. 
By washing it off with water and lemon juice, the 
aniline dyes yield the best violet, mauve, and purple 
colors.— Queenslander. 
Practical Hints. —“Nellie” writes The Vermont 
Farmer thus: “Pansies and a great many other 
flowers retain then- color after they are chjed, and 
they can be kept in shape by packing them in sand 
while drying. Buttercups aro very pretty, and dry 
splendidly. I had a small Petunia plant last spring. 
It grew very slowly until I commenced watering it 
with hot water, frequently used hot tea, then it began 
to thrive wonderfully, and continued flowering far 
into the winter. Hot water had the same effect on 
Fuchsias, but it is not good for all plants. I do not 
mean boiling water, but hotter than I can bear my 
hand in. 
