Foliage and ornamental work in plaster is made by _modelling_ the ornaments by hand, in a proper kind of clay, worked by steel or wooden tools, resembling small spatulas in form. To do this requires a taste and skill in drawing or designing in the workman, which raises him to the rank of an artist. When the model is finished and dry, the surface of it is covered with a thin coat of oil, and a mould of fine plaster is taken from it in separate pieces. To allow of the plaster mould being taken off the model, the edges of these separate pieces of the mould are made smooth so as to fit accurately together. From this mould any number of _casts_ may be taken by pouring fluid plaster into the mould when it is put together; and as soon as each cast has _set_, or become hard, the mould is taken off it, to be put together again for a new cast. There has been recently an improvement introduced, which leads to a diminution of the use of plaster for ornaments; this is by the substitution of _papier-maché_. The material so named is formed chiefly of paper, brought to the state of a paste, and then compressed in moulds. There is to every ornament so made a counter-mould, following the general contour of the ornament, so that the piece is made about equally thick in every part. The resulting ornament is very much less ponderous than those made of plaster, and much less liable to fracture. The interior decorations of many buildings are now made of this material. Whitewashing and Stuccoing. Old plaster ceilings, walls, &c., are cleaned by being _whitewashed_. The plaster is first washed over with clean water, by means of broad flat brushes, to remove the dirt. All cracks and defects in the plaster are then _stopped_ by filling them up with new plaster, and it is frequently necessary to cut away the plaster in such places to obtain a clean new surface to enable the new plaster to adhere. When the surface is dry, the whitewash, made of whiting mixed up in water, is laid on with the same form of brushes, and two or three times gone over, so as effectually to cover all stains and marks on the surface. Instead of being whitewashed, walls are frequently coloured by mixing ochre, of the proper tint, in the water along with the whiting. The outside of walls of houses, &c., are now frequently covered with stucco, a kind of plaster made with a lime that resists the action of water, when set, and which, if well managed, causes the wall to look as if built of stone. The mode of stuccoing walls is exactly the same as that of covering them with common plaster. Origin of Paper-hangings.