WR. Harrison's botanical press, 23^ 



The Method of vjing it. 



After a fpecimen is feledled, a flip of paper is to be at- Method of ufing 

 fached to il, containing its name, place of growth, and time J^'j^^ , ^^^ ^^ 

 of gathering. The boxes are then to be taken off by three or laid between 

 four at a time, until the number removed may be judged to be ^^°"'"g- paper, 



r r rr - i i . /r- /r- ^ t ^"^ ^^^ prelFure 



ot lumcient weight to produce the neceflary preflure. On the regulated by the 



fand in the box thus feleded for ufe, a fingle fold of blotting- """^b^"' of boxe» 

 ri J I 1.1 r^.i- -XQOSQ each, &c, 



paper mult be placed ; upon that the plant, taking care to 



preferve as much as poffible the natural petition of its charac- 



teriftic parts : Over the plant a fecond fold of paper rauti be 



laid, and then the boxes are to be replaced. If the plant be 



woody and require much preffure, place it near the bottom ; 



but if fucculent, near the top; and herein confifls one great 



advantage of this prefs over ^v^X'j other, fince the prelfure can 



be fele6ted or varied at pleafure, and ail the parts of the plant 



preffed equally ; for if the plant be fucculent, the preflure can 



fcarcely be too flight at firft, and may be gradually increafed 



without ever bruifing the tendereft part; and if, on the other 



hand, ftrong prelTure be required, the plant may be placed 



in the bottomeft box j and if the weight of fand be not thought 



fufficient, any number of the boxes next above it may be 



loaden with fmall (hot, by which the preffure maybe increafed 



until the boxes be full, when the preffure exerted would be 



much greater than the ftrongeft plants could bear without 



having fome of its effential parts defaced. Another advantage 



which led me to give a preference to this method of prefixing 



plants, was the great faving of time; for though my profef- 



fional avocations thould require my immediate prefence at a 



diftance, and thus drag me from this innocent amufement 



when in the bufieft part of claffing and arranging my fpeci- 



mens, and though my prefs fliould be completely feparaled 



into its conflituent parts, yet the whole can be arranged, in 



the fpace of one minute, to remain until the next leifure time 



that may occur ; fo that, in fad, with this contrivance, botany 



is a ftudy that can be entered into or given up as it may fuit 



the convenience of a moment ; which is not the cafe where 



any of the plans defcribed in Dr. Withering's Introduction to 



the Study of Botany * are followed. 



* Third Edition. 



It 



