FLORAL DECORATION'S. 9S 
be done in an oven. Having heated it to a high heat and 
turned it several times until all moisture has been expelled 
from it, it is ready for use. 
This is the only preparation absolutely necessary, except 
that, as the leaves of some plants are more or less gluti¬ 
nous, the sand will adhere to them with much tenacity and 
spoil the appearance of the specimens. To prevent this 
the particles of the sand are coated with stearine in the fol¬ 
lowing manner After the sand has been dried in the 
manner already described, it can be weighed, and to every 
twelve or thirteen pounds of baked sand take one ounce of 
stearine. The stearine shoidd be scraped into fine shavings, 
and having placed a quantity of the sand in a large flat 
pan over a good fire, heat it to such a degree that a small 
piece of stearine will immediately melt on it; now scatter 
the stearine over the sand — the proper quantity for the 
sand in the pan in the proportion named above. While 
adding the stearine stir the sand constantly and keep it 
moving until it has been thoroughly commingled and every 
particle has been coated. Having prepared all the sand in 
this way it is fitted for use. 
A good sized box to hold the sand will be about six 
inches deep and eight or ten inches wide, and twelve or 
fifteen inches long. These proportions can be varied a few 
