INTRO D UCTOR Y 1 5 



Specimens collected should be placed immediately in boxes 

 in such a way as to suffer no injury in transport; beautiful 

 material is often ruined by lack of care on the part of the 

 collector. Once at the herbarium, specimens may be mounted 

 by gluing the supporting material to the bottom of a small box. 

 Boxes of uniform size and depth may be secured for the pur- 

 pose. Some collectors prefer to fasten the specimen to a piece 

 of stiff paper, of a size to be pressed into the box snugly, but 

 which may be removed at pleasure. Every pains must in any 

 case be taken to exclude insects. 



For simple microscopic examination it will be found con- 

 venient to first wet the material with alcohol on the slide, then 

 with a weak solution of potassic hydrate, to cause the spores 

 and other structures to assume proper plumpness. A little 

 glycerine may be added or run under the cover if is desired 

 to preserve the material for further or prolonged study. For 

 permanent mounting nothing in most cases is better than 

 glycerine jelly. As a preparation, the material should lie for 

 some time in Hantsch's fluid, opportunity being given for 

 evaporation of the alcohol and water. When the material 

 shows the proper clearness and fulness, it may be mounted in 

 jelly in the usual way. Kaiser's formula gives beautiful results. 

 After mounting, the preparation should be sealed with some 

 good cement, as Hollis's glue. 



