VOL. 



5 ] Short Articles. J 39 



10^ The great Candollean Herbarium at Genevea is 10X15. 

 which is ample and would even be improved in proportion by 

 taking an inch from the length. The herbarium of lumens 

 (which was of course determined as to the sheet by convenience) 

 is of "foolscap" size, 8X13 inches, a most ungraceful shape. For 

 local herbaria, however, an inch added to the width would make 

 it of sufficient dimensions. 



In former times it was sometimes difficult to cut ordinary 

 commercial papers into certain sizes without a great deal of waste 

 but now through Herbarium Supply Companies, paper of almost 

 any size can be obtained without this element of expense. 



In the Harvard Herbarium, much the most important of the 

 American collections, the sheets are mostly well filled-vanous 

 collections of the same species, with their labels being ^ glued 

 upon the same sheet until it is filled. The effect is often less 

 ornamental, but much more convenient, and the saving is con- 

 siderable. Where the specimens are very small, however, the 

 effect is better, the apearance of a small dab of Tiltea, Pilulana 

 or other minute plant in the middle or in one comer of avast 

 expanse of paper outrages one's sense of fitness. The only 

 excuse for it is lack of time for the perfect determination of the 

 pedmens to be mounted; on which account it might be well in 

 ^herbaria to increase the force of botanists, somewhat if 

 necessary at the expense of the number of minor employees. In 

 Lunting small specimens of different collections to fill a sheet 

 uZv occasionally T happen that more than one species is repre- 

 sented" even under theTversight of a careful botanist, but this is 

 a trivial matter of small inconvenience. 



In whatever manner plants are mounted provision should be 

 made on the sheet for a folder containing fragments for lending. 

 Few botanists can spare the time to go from one herbarium to 

 another often at great distances, to consult types, and many 

 plants, especially if mature, travel badly, and types are loaned, 

 if at all, with great reluctance, yet the need of these originals is 

 so great in revisions and monographs that some effort is usually 

 made to render them available. 



