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University Daily Kansan Thursday, Nov. 7, 1957
—(Daily Kansan photo)
MAKING REAL-LOOKING TREES—Nelda Pearson. Brunswick, Mo., freshman, helps Ed McMullan, Long Beach, N. Y. freshman, finish a plastic birch tree from Minnesota.
Plants Of Plastic Outlive Real Ones
Did you know that snakes, birds, cactuses, and other plants and animals are "growing" on the third floor of Dyche Hall? Artificially, at least, these specimens "come alive" through mountings, stuffings, or just plain fakery (as in the case of leaves), all as part of the work that goes into making up the natural history displays.
"For leaves, we strive for a good imitation, not a botanical specimen." George Young, the museum's taxidermist said. "Our plastic leaf-making process is developed from one used in the East."
Making the leaves for this museum, he explained, involves making plaster casts of real leaves and linetype casts from the plaster casts. With the 2-piece metal mold that results, a hydraulic press is used to impress sheets of plastic, several of which are pressed together and cut on a jigsaw.
"The construction of the plant controls our method of making it," Mr Young said. "For some plants, each individual leaf is attached to a wire
Tryouts Continue For Drill Team
The KU NROTC drill team is still holding try-outs. T. Sgt. Thomas Jones, assistant Marine Corps instructor and drill team adviser, said Tuesday.
Sgt. Jones said about 42 men are trying out for the new 13 man drill team. He said the new team will practice a more complicated drill, similar to that used before World War II when drill was simplified for quicker training.
Practices are held in the Military Science Building every Thursday and alternate Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.
The only distinct peaks left in the Appalachian Mountain chain are the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Black Mountains of North Carolina.
stem which is soldered to a thin wire wrapped around a twig to form a spray. For other plants, the leaf is attached to a stem wire wrapped with cotton and coated with liquid plastic. Plants can be assembled unpainted or painted before assembling.
"We try to paint to get an outdoor effect in the artificial light of the exhibits. It's not possible to use local color—it is too dark and lacks life.
"The cactus is the most involved plant to make." Mr. Young explained. "We must remove the spines from a real cactus, make molds, and then cement the spines onto the molds."
"The smaller the plant, the more man hours are required to reproduce it," he said.
The work currently being done in Mr. Young's department is directed toward renovating the entire exhibit on the museum's main floor. Begun in 1951, this project is expected to be completed in July, 1958.
Archery appears to have been little practiced by the Greeks and Romans but auxiliary troops employed by both of these nations were armed with bows and arrows.
NOW! THRU SAT.
2 Big Hits
—Exciting Co-Hit—
Radio-TV Students To Tour Europe
Victor M. Hyden, instructor of speech and drama, is organizing a student tour to Europe and Moscow next summer. It will be mainly for radio-television students from major U.S. schools.
casting Corp., Radio Vatican City, and the Soviet broadcasting station. Students can visit the Brussels World's Fair and the American Embassy in Moscow.
The tour will include the broadcasting center of Radio Free Europe, Voice of America. British Broad-
Mr. Hyden said he got the idea from a former student, Ted Barr, from Germany. Barr suggested that Mr. Hyden bring American students
to Europe to see their facilities. Mr. Hyden took it from there, planning the trip and writing to major American colleges and universities. Mr. Hyden and his wife will serve as chaperones for the trip.
The armies of Xerxes and Darius were composed in part of archers drawn from the oriental nations.
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