off a little of the small end of the
funnel to allow the icing to come out when you press with your thumbs.
Next, with a knife, cover your cake with icing sugar smoothly; if it
sticks to the knife, wet it a little. Let dry half hour; then with a
lead pencil make leaves or designs, and with your paper funnel ice your
pencil designs. Colored icing looks well.

TAKING LEAF PHOTOGRAPHS--A very pretty amusement, especially for those
who have just completed the study of botany, is the taking of leaf
photographs. One very simple process is this: At any druggist's get an
ounce of Bichromate of Potassium. Put this into a pint bottle of water.
When the solution becomes saturated--that is, the water is dissolved as
much as it will--pour off some of the clear liquid into a shallow dish;
on this float a piece of ordinary writing paper till it is thoroughly
moistened, let it dry in the dark. It should be a bright yellow. On
this put the leaf, under a piece of black soft cloth and several sheets
of newspaper. Put these between two pieces of glass (all the pieces
should be of the same size) and with spring clothespins fasten them
together. Expose to a bright sun, placing the leaf so that the rays
will fall upon it as nearly perpendicular as possible. In a few moments
it will begin to turn brown; but it requires from half an hour to
several hours to produce a perfect print. When it has become dark
enough, take it from the frame, and put it into clear water, which must
be changed every few minutes until the yellow part becomes white.
Sometimes the leaf veinings will be quite distinct. By following these
directions it is scarcely possible to fail, and a little practice will
make perfect.

CURIOUS THINGS.--1. To apparently burn water, fill a glass lamp with
water, and put into it for a wick a piece of Gum Camphor. The lamp
should not be quite full, and the camphor may be left to float upon the
surface of the water. On touching a lighted match to the Camphor, up
shoots a clear, steady flame, and seems to sink below the surface of
the water, so that the flame is surrounded by the liquid. It will burn
a long time. If the Camphor be ignited in a large dish of water it will
commonly float about while burning.

2. To change the faces of a group to a livid, deathly whiteness, and to
destroy colors, wet a half teacupful of common salt in Alcohol and burn
it on a plate in a dark room. Let the salt soak a few minutes before
igniting. The flame w