NATURE-PRINTING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4768, 4 July 1876, Page 2

NATURE-PRINTING.

The art of nature-printing is attracting some attention just now, in consequence of Sir George Grey having obtained the sanction of the House of Bepresentatives for an address to the Governor, praying him to be pleased to place upon the Estimates a sum of money to defray the cost of a work on native grasses. The proposition which the House has adopted is that a work shall. be issued containing nature-printed plates of all native grasses in the colony, and also ■ a letterpress description of each grass. En passant it may be remarked that the value of such a work cannot be overestimated, particularly if the subject be treated in the fullest manner possible. Not only should the grasses be described, but their peculiar properties should be enquired into, as also the conditions of soil and climate under which particularvarieties best flourish. As was pointed out during the course of the debate, the native grasses are beyond a doubt fully equal to the best imported kinds, and it would be a pity if graziers, from ignorance of the value- of the indigenous production, passed it over for the sake of inferior grasses from the old country. But to return. We have received from Mr. Earle, of the Government Printing Office, of this city, two excellent specimens of natureprinting, consisting of various kinds of leaves, fern and native grass. They are produced by placing the original on a lithographic stone, and from these any number of impressions can be struck off after the usual method of lithography. He informs us that plates of subjects suitable for the process can be produced at nominal cost; and from enquiries made, he is of opinion that the production of natureprinted plates by the aid of lithography suitable for practical purposes has probably never before been attended with such success. The plan to be adopted in nature-printing is to obtain a copy of any material object, such as ferns, leaves, plants, seaweed, tares, &c. —1. Take a leaf and place it on a smooth surface charged with a colored pigment, rub it carefully till sufficiently covered with the coloring matter (or the color may be applied by dabbing it on with a piece of cotton wool), then take the leaf, press it carefully on a piece of clean paper or fabric, the result will give a perfect fac simile of original. 2. Take a fern, place it flat on a piece of satin or other fabric, then with a tooth-brush charged with color, sprinkle the whole surface by drawing the tip of the finger through the hair of the brush, the result will be a white leaf on a stippled background. Very pretty’mats, suitable for the toilet table, &c., can be produced by this method. 3. Very nice results can be obtained with leaves, if not too opaque, by placing them on a piece of photographic silver paper, and exposing to the action of light after the usual method of photographic printing. The foregoing methods are only adapted for the amateur, or when a few copies is all that is required; but for illustrating scientific works it is necessary to have recourse to other methods. The honor of the first invention ef nature-printing, suitable for commercial purposes, is due to Herr Alois von Auer, director of the Imperial Printing Institute at Vienna. The process consists in taking any suitable object, comparatively flat, such as a leaf or fern, and impressing it into a sheet of lead or guttapercha, which forms a matrix for producing printing plates by electrifying. Mr. Earle will probably do all the printing for the new work, and Mr. John Buchanan will likely supply the letterpress descriptive part. At anyrate these gentlemen were referred to by Sir George as well capable to do the work satisfactorily.