The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-01-10
A Skeleton Bouquet.

'Don't you know how to make a
skeleton bouquet" said young lady
to st. Louis Post Dispatch reporter.
The young man was forced to confess
his ignorance, and the young lady con-
tinued:
''Well, I'll tell you. A beautiful
phantom bouquet can be made from
skeletonized leaves and seed vessels.
If properly prepared the exquisite deli
cacy of these plant structures and their
brilliant whiteness combine to form a
work of beauty that the sculptor would
envy but could never hope to rival.
The art is an old one revived. 1t was
known to Marcus Aurelius Severinus in
1645, who, however, kept the process a
secret, and the first published account
of the method of preparing plant-skel-
etons was by the Dutch naturalist,
Frederick Ruysch. In 1861 Parrisch,
of Philadelphia, wrote a little work on
the subject. The art then became very
fashionable i'll the east, and at present
a number of young ladies in the west
ern part of the city have beautiful par
lor ornaments, the work of their own
hands.
I'm selecting material care should be
taken to gather leaves that are fully
formed and free from blemish. The
puncture of an insect will render the
leaf unfit for use. The leaves of herbs
must not be gathered, as they are soft
and flabby, and lack the ligneous veins
that constitute the skeleton leaf. The
leaves of all the hardy deciduous trees
and shrubs make good materials. Ev
ergreens, vines and creepers may also
be used, and the seed-vessels and
calyces of various plants are suitable
for the work. Having selected the
leaves the next step is to procure a
suitable vessel for their maceration.
Any utensil of wood or earthenware
that will hold water will do. The spec
linens are to be covered with boiling
water and to be held in place by suita-
BILE pieces of glass. The vessel is then
set away in some warm situation for
four or five weeks, when, by action of
decomposing, fermentation prompted
by warmth and moisture, the pulpy
matter of the leaf will be loosened so
that it can be separated from the fl
brous skeleton and be preserved unim-
paired. Some of the leaves, like ivy
and holly, after maceration will part
with their tough skin in layers so as to
expose the skeleton covered with thin
membrane, which may be readily
washed off Naples, lindens and others
require different treatment. Their ep-
idermis is so thin and slight that it is
necessary to place the decayed leaf on
plate or pane of glass and with soft
tooth brush clean off the surface. If
necessary leaf may be returned to
the macerating vessel to complete the
softening process. Leaves of very del
icate texture may be cleaned by wash
ing them under water between the fin
gers. Some skeletons, like the lemon
and japonica, when obtained in a per-
feet condition show double structure,
as though two perfect leaves had grown
together at the edges.
'.In mounting specimens the prefer
ence seems to be for loose, airy y-look-
ing arrangement of the leaves. The
English cases are, as rule, too solid
looking; they seem, as it were, to par
take of the national character A
grouping of seed vessels at the base of
the bouquet seems to conceal the loose
stems. IL these matters no rule can be
laid down. Good taste and judgment
are the only standards. and in such
matters all must admit that ladies are
uneQualled.