48 THREE KINGDOMS. 



cannot get fruit and flower together, visit the locality 

 again for the former. At any rate, always secure it. 

 The fruit is often essential to the identification of a 

 plant. In the same way one must have the under- 

 ground parts, roots, tubers, root-stocks, etc., paring 

 these down if too bulky. Do not, on any account, 

 merely nip off the top of a plant, and think you have 

 a specimen. You will, in such case, only lay up 

 trouble for yourself and others. 



Ferns require the underground parts. The Umbcl- 

 liferce, Cruciferce, Carices, and Potainogetons must be 

 collected in fruit. Grasses, on the other hand, oftener 

 need the flowers. 



Generally a number of specimens will be growing 

 together. Of these some will be better than others. 

 Select the best ; those which seem most representa- 

 tive, least injured in any way; good average examples 

 of the whole. If you are using the box, no special 

 advice is necessary. Lay the plants in smoothly, 

 avoiding injury so far as is possible. If the port- 

 folio is employed, open it, and put one or more 

 plants of the same species in a single sheet, carefully 

 laying them out, and then bringing down the upper 

 sheet over them. On either side put drying-papers, 

 then another species-sheet with more specimens, then 

 more driers, and so on. Never mix species on the 

 same sheet. Put with each species a field-label, 

 stating, if known, the name of the plant, and the 

 date and place of collection. To these data may 

 usefully be added color of flower, height of plant, 

 nature of soil, and habit of growth, though much of 

 such information is best left in the note-book, with 

 reference to the specimens. 



The ultimate process of drying, upon which so 

 much depends, is, in effect, pretty much the same as 

 the field-work with the portfolio, only now one uses a 



