are convenient. They must first be allowed to become perfectly dry; then they can be made into tasselled festoons. Take six mock-oranges, which imitate so closely our real oranges in color, size, and form, and cut a hole about the size of a silver dime in the top and bottom of each one; then shake out the seeds. To make the openings in the gourds, first bore a small hole with the point of a large needle, then twist the needle around and around until it will easily pass through. Next, carefully enlarge the opening with a sharp penknife until it is of the stated size. Make a rope two yards and a half long of Persian colored wools or worsted; on the end fasten a slender tassel, six or seven inches long, made of the same worsted; now string one of the bright orange-gourds on the rope down against the tassel, which should be large enough to prevent the gourd from slipping off; make another similar tassel, and attach it to the rope about twelve inches from the first one, and thread another gourd on the rope, bringing it down against the second tassel; proceed in like manner with the remaining gourds, making a tassel for each one, and you will have a decoration unlike any to be found elsewhere. We are all more or less familiar with the =Gourd-Dippers= so common in the South, where, in olden times, scarcely a spring bubbled in a rustic nook that was not supplied with its drinking-gourd. These dippers are made by sawing an opening in the large part of the gourd, scraping out the contents, and making the inside as smooth as possible with sand-paper. They need no ornamentation. The kind of gourds resembling flattened globes can be made into graceful and unique =Bowls.= The gourds must be sawed into two parts, with the inside of each sand-papered, and flowers painted, with oil-colors, on the outside. After they have thoroughly dried, give a coat of white varnish to both the inside and outside. A pretty =Bonbon-Box= can be fashioned of one of these gourds. Saw off the top, which will serve as a lid, and fasten it to the bowl with narrow ribbons tied through holes at the back of each; line both lid and box with satin by gluing it along the edges with stiff glue put on sparingly, and cover the raw edge of the satin with chenille; this is also put on with a little glue. Do not allow the chenille to interfere with the closing of the box, but place it along the inside edge of the box and lid. Another form is the =Bottle-Gourd.= Ornament this with ivy-leaves painted as if twined around bowl and neck, and when the paint is dry varnish the gourd all over; if you wish it for use as well as decoration, saw off the top about two or three inches deep, shake out the seeds, then fit a cork in the piece cut off, and so glue it in that the cork may extend an inch downward to fit in the bottle. The large egg-shaped gourds look well as =Vases.= [Illustration: Wire Twisted for Feet of Gourd-Vase.] [Illustration: Foot Bent Down.]