Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-08
LEAVES OF AUTUMN
LARGE QUANTITIES GATHERED
AND "PR@sERvED."
colored Foliage amp Bright Berries to
Be Worn Oh Women's
Hats,

From the New York Tip6e%
This promises tosbe an early autumn,
and the berries ana eaves are already
turning colors," said ahss dealer in novelties,
as he patted a bundle.of dried grasses just
shipped up from the coast. I'VE have made
arrangements to send a small army of men,
women and children into the woods to col
lect the leaves and berries for US. Some of
the most exquisite ones. you know, turn
very early, and If we don't get these in
time we lose the pick of the season Then
the juniper berries, and the berries of the
wild cat-brier, take on their most delicate
hues late in September. If We pick them
then we secure color effects that cannot be
obtained later. Some people will tell you
that it takes several heavy frosts to color
the leaves and berries properly, but hidden
away in the early autumn woods there are
always some choice products that only
experts can find. 1t is to secure these that
we start the pickerS out early.
"Of course, we've had some of them out
all through August and September, but
mostly along the seashore and meadows
wnere they hunt for tall grasses and cat
tails. Here is shipment of them. Just
look them over, and you will find some ex-
quisite products of nature. Talk about
artists coloring their pictures! Why, not
one of your pictures could equal this bundle
of dried grasses for beautiful blending of
hues.
Sale of Grasses.
What do we do with all these? Why,
sell them. Not as they come to US, al
though there is quite trade In fresh
grasses of the coats for botanical purposes
Private botanists collectors and teachers in
the private schools come here and make
pretty good purchases. But the bulk of
our trade is for making autumn novelties.
Here come load of birch bark and
sack of new pine cones. They are fresh
from the Adirondacks. Well make up sew
eral hundred birch bark novelties-canoes,
photograph frames, easels and napkin
rings-and sell them to the stores. Some
OF the stores may advertise them as the
handdwork of the Indians or Adirondack
guides, but the fact is, most of these wood
novelties are made right here in the city
We have better facilities for doing the work
than they have in the woods. Besides, we
have regularly employed workmen who are
adopts IN the art of making such novelties
They would turn out two birch bark ar
t1cles to one of your Adirondack guides
or Indians. Here are tools and machinery
made to help them. We have knives to cut
out squares and circular pieces of the de-
sired size. With one stroke of the knife
a workman can cut out the two sides of
a canoe, and with another he will produce
all that Is needed to make a photograph
frame Then the grasses are shipped down
here for weaving the different parts to-
gether. 1t is impossible to get the right
KIND OF grasses just when needed in the
woods, but by having men gathering the
grasses IN one place and the birch bark in
another we keep well supplied with just
what We want
Of Many colors.
These grasses can be gathered at certain
seasons of the year. so that nearly all the
coiors of the rainbow gan be reproduced.
They are first grass green, then they turn
a 1icybf chaS
off to brown, yellow, pink and red. You
must pluck them wks3 the right shade is on
them, and by a simple process of drying
this shade be perpetuated. That is
part of our business, and you can see how
well we succeed. Here is a variety of
shades from this seasoh's grasses. They
a aeo all IL eolors and 1t thsy are the same
times and from different places Nature
is an artful producer. and you only have to
capture her in right moods to obtain re-
suits.
We have been experimenting with these
wild Adirondack and meadow grasses in
the past few years for basketry, and even
for weaving hats and mats. Why not make
these articles out of the native products?
Raffia is all right for basketry, but we be-
lieve that better effects can sometimes be
obtained from our native coast grasses
Certain 1t is we have found plenty of people
to agree with u.s. Let me make predic-
ton right here. Before many seasons we
will be weaving spring and autumn hats
out of these wild wood and aquatic plants,
and women will wear them as headgear
OF wonderful beauty. If they once become
popular fortune is made for u.s.
I'VE have already popularized autumn
leaves and wild berries for millinery pur-
poses. How many of the artificial leaves
and berries you see on this seasons hats
do you suppose are natural? Nearly 60 per
cent, l should say. would be fair guess
If you will examine those on your wifes
hat tonight when you go home you will
md the leaves are natural products of the
autumn woods carefully preserved by a
thin gelatinous coating. This excludes the
air, and the leaves retain their beauty in
definitely. That is far better than making
artificial leaves out of muslin and wire and
getting some second grade artist to touch
them up with colors that you never see in
the woods. We used to gather autumn
leaves for artists to paint after Some
used them for filing In their pictures and
others copied them for muslin leaves for
the millinery trade. But we don't do that
any more. 1t is easier to take the natural
leaves and preserve them.