XXV1 SrERDe CON TO BOTANY. 
a common wrapper of — paper, and the name of the genus and natural order to — 
which it belongs written on the left-hand corner near the base. 
The most convenient size for the sheets of paper is 16 inches long by 10} 
wi 
_ 205. No more than one species should ever be fastened on one sheet of paper ; 
but as many specimens as will conveniently fit may be placed side by side. 
. 206. The name, place of growth, soil, elevation above the sea, season of flowering, 
colour of the flower, and if a shrub or tree, the height, nature of the wood, &c. ; and 
any useful information respecting the species, and not deducible from the specimen, 
should be written on an attached label or on the sheet to which the specimen is 
"207. The sheets of species arranged under their genera and orders, are kept in 
cabinets made with compartments to suit the size of the paper used. 
208. When it is required to examine or dissect flowers or fruits that have been 
dried, it is necessary to soften them. If the parts are very delicate this is best done 
by gradually moistening them in cold water ; in most cases steeping them in boiling © 
water or in steam, is usual, and is much quicker. Very hard fruits and seeds wi 
require long boiling in order to dissect them easily, 
209. For dissecting and examining flowers in the field, a pen-knife and a poate 
lens of two or three powers, from one inch to two’ inches focus, are sufficient. At 
home is is more convenient to have a mounted lens or simple microscope, with a 
stage holding a glass plate, upon which the flowers to be dissected may be laid, and 
a pair of dissecting knives, one of which should be narrow and pointed, or a fine 
needle fixed in a handle ; > with a sharp edge, — 
to make clean sections across the © _A compound microscope is rarely neces-— 
a except in cryptogamic botany. or the simple microscope, lenses of 4, 4, so 
focus are sufficient. - 
210. Many species vary within limits which it is very difficult to express in words. 
It may also happen that the specimen gathered may present some occasional or acci- — 
dental anomalies peculiar to that single one, or to a very few individuals of the spe- 
cies. Hence the difficulty constantly experienced by the young student, and not 
seldom by the more expert botanist, of recognizing the various forms of a species by 
the technical characters assigned to it ina Flora. It may be useful, therefore, to point 
out a few of the anomalies likely to be met with, and we may divide them into two 
classes, as follows : 
1, Aberrations from the ordinary type or sabe g of a species, for which 
some general cause may be 
A bright light and open situation, particularly at considerable elevations or — 
in high latitudes, without too much wet or drought, tends to increase 
the size and heighten the colour of flowers, in proportion to the stature — 
and foliage of the plant. . 
Shade, on the c contrary, especially if accompanied by richness of soil and suffi- 
cient moisture, tends to increase the foliage a draw up the stem, but — 
to diminish the number, size, and colour of the flowers. 
A hot climate and dry situation tend to increase the hairs, prickles, and — 
other productions of the epidermis, to shorten and stiffen the branches, 
rendering sa ae plants yet more spinous. Moisture in a rich soil has 
poem, Soe 
lof the sea, or a saline soil or atmosphere, imparts a thicker 
roeetn cates ener to the aa and almost every part of 
