The household (of the Detroit free press)

Use old muslin, and have plenty on hand. The iron must be just hot enough to " hiss " when touched with a wet finger ; if too hot, it scorches the leaves and ruins them. If the leaves are damp, wipe them first with a soft cloth, then pass the iron quickly over the spermacetiaceti, then over the right side of the leaf ; turn it over and there will be sufficient sperm on the cloth to thoroughly saturate it ; keep on ironing it, moving it over to a new spot, until it is as dry as paper, stem and all. Do not press the iron on it too long, but until it is nearly cold- After doing as many leaves as you wish in this way, take a fresh iron, at the same temperature, run it quickly over the spermaceti, and then as rapidly and evenly as possible over the right side of your leaves. This gives them the final polish, and if they are successfully done they will look beautiful and bright. - Have a large newspaper spread conveniently to receive them when finished, and let them remain for an hour or two. Then place them carefully in boxes away from the light until ready for use. If they should curl, as they sometimes do, place them (in twentyfour hours after they are done) in books, under pressure, but not very heavy. Practice on some inferior leaves first, and be sure to have them ironed PRESSED A UTUMN LEA VES. 315 thoroughly dry, or they will wrinkle after the polishing. In doing the latter, try to touch every part of the leaf evenly, but if you find some spots you did not touch, go over them again, very carefully, with a little spermaceti on the point of your iron. Another way is to melt the wax or spermaceti — spermaceti is rather the best — in a glazed earthen cup or bowl, just hot enough to be liquid; dip in the leaf or fern and lay it on a smooth, flat surface to dry. All bits of waste wax can be used for this purpose — it matters not the color of the wax. The dark green trailing vines of the blue myrtle and smilax make additions and a pleasing contrast to the various colored leaves, and look as fresh and glossy as if newly plucked. Tiny ferns and pressed pansies make charming trailing vines combined with the autumn leaves, to put above the doors, pictures or pier glasses. Monograms, initials and glass mottoes can be made with little difficulty by taking tiny pins and fastening the leaves in their various designs upon the wall paper. These can be drawn lightly with a pencil on the wall and the outlines followed. With some artistic taste and an idea as to the blending and harmonizing of colors, one can almost have oil paintings of their own, of autumn scenes, to gladden and make bright their homes when winter rages without. Walls with patches of leaves here and there, or a clump of fifteen or twenty lapped over each other, are not artistic. They should be put up separately, with the stems arranged in curves, as if it was a branch of leaves. The leaves of the beech tree after they have turned brown can be arranged on frames, brackets, crosses or wreaths and will look exceedingly pretty. The leaves, of the sumach, maple, Virginia creeper, woodbine, Jack in the pulpit and all ferns, can be pressed without losing color or beauty of form. Autumn leaves look very pretty with diamond dust sprinkled on them after they have been waxed. Put the diamond dust on them while they are warm.