The beautiful operations of nature will then commence. The roots of the vine will at once begin to adapt themselves to their new home, and their delicate fibres will firmly clasp the particles of the well-prepared soil; the warm days of the early spring will draw the sap up through the whole length of the vine; the buds will open and exhibit their delicate tints, new shoots and broad green leaves will follow, and you can soon eat the fruit of your own labor, sitting beneath the shadow of your own vine.
21.—HOW TO ARRANGE SEA-MOSSES.
While our young friends are enjoying the pleasures of the sea-shore, there is no more delightful employment than gathering and preserving the beautiful flowers of the sea.
September is the time to collect the finest varieties of sea-mosses. Before you commence to arrange them, procure two pieces of deal board, about twenty inches long and twelve inches wide; some light-brown paper, and blotting paper, and white drawing paper. You will need camel’s-hair pencils, long, slender darning-needles (or common needles mounted on lucifer matches), a small piece of alum, and old cotton or linen cloth.
The best time for collecting the mosses is in the early morning, when, on your return, there is leisure for immediately laying them out. If you leave them until the next day, the chances are that one half of them will be spoiled. Do not collect many mosses at one time; for these flowers of the sea fade, and even decompose very fast, when roughly handled or carelessly gathered. If you cannot arrange them at once, put them either in an oil-skin bag, or a tin can, with sea-water. When you are ready to arrange them, take your drawing paper and cut it into large and small squares, or any size you desire. Get some soup plates, or any shallow dish; fill with fresh water; place a small piece of alum in each dish. Now have your camel’s-hair pencils and darning-needles, or needles mounted on matches, by your side. Then float a piece of sea-moss in fresh water. If very dirty or sandy, wash it first in clear water. Float it on a piece of paper, which must be placed under it with the left hand, while with your right hand you arrange the plant in a natural manner, using your camel’s-hair pencils and needles. Superabundant branches can be thinned out with small, sharp-pointed scissors. When the specimen is placed as you like it, cautiously raise the paper, that the position of the plant be not altered, and let it rest somewhere with sloping inclination, that the moisture may run off, while other specimens are treated in the same way. Do not leave them long thus, for they must be pressed before the paper is dry. In drying them, you must lay either old soft linen, or cotton over them, to prevent its sticking to the upper paper when pressing; as, in order to press it, you must first lay them in blotting paper, and then in brown, and place them, thus prepared, between your boards, and strap the two boards tightly together. The blotting paper and old cloth must be changed at least twice in drying large sea-weed. The second day place a heavy pressure on the boards used in pressing.
Sea-mosses are glutinous, and must be dried, and not pressed; and, when finished and dry, then moisten the under side of the paper, and press it gently. Others will not adhere to paper, and therefore, when dry, should be brushed over with a little isinglass, dissolved in gin, laid on warm; and they will then be fixed closely to the drawing paper.
Another preparation is one ounce of oil of turpentine, in which some gum mastic, the size of a nutmeg, has been dissolved. This gives a gloss to the specimen, and helps to preserve the color.
The finest and rarest specimens are found in the lowest tide pool, or cast up after a storm.
We have seen these sea-mosses, or sea-weeds, exquisitely arranged, representing flower painting.