HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



245 



Plants," by F. T. Law ("Wesley Naturalist," Oct.). 

 — " Puzzles in Palaeontology," by Mr. A. Bodington 

 ("Journal of Microscopy," Oct.). — "The Fernley 

 Lecture," by the Rev. Dr. Dallinger ("Naturalist's 

 Monthly," Oct.).—" Binary Suns," by Herbert 

 Sadler (ditto, Sept. and Oct.). — " The Organic 

 Origin of Chert," by Dr. G. J. Hinde (" Geol. 

 Mag." Oct.). — "Primeval Man in the Valley of the 

 Lea," by Worthington G. Smith (" Essex Naturalist," 



July). 



DRYING OF PLANTS ON A TOUR. 



By M. Copineau. 



{Bulletin de la Societi botaniquc de France, tome xxxiii. 

 Seance du 26 fevrier 1886.) 



IN order to prepare botanical specimens success- 

 fully for the herbarium, it is of the greatest 

 importance that they be dried quickly, and never be 

 allowed to remain in damp paper — a matter some- 



I have all my drying pads* sewn round and near 

 the borders with coarse thread in wide stitches ; 

 midway, above and below, the thread is passed 

 through a metal eye, similar to those used by ladies 

 for the insertion of the hooks of their skirts. I then 

 fasten, three or four centimetres apart, to a stout 

 piece of tape, hooks of an elongated form with their 

 bends on the same level as the eyes to which they 

 are to_be joined. To dry my pads, I hang my tape 

 by a couple of nails over the fire, or in a draught of 

 air at the open door or window, or simply may be in 

 the room ; and to each hook I fasten a pad by means 

 of one of its eyes, which, by the way, must not be 

 too tightly sewn on. The pads isolated from one 

 another, and completely suspended, dry w th 

 astonishing rapidity. I can, in a very short space of 

 time — by lengthening my tapes to 50 centimetres — 

 dispose of a considerable number of pads. Not only 

 is the weight of the hooks and tape insignificant, but 

 the eyes, being flat upon the pads, do not interfere 

 in the least with the drying. 



With regard to a travelling press, I am indebted 



Fig. 132. — Plant-pressing and Drying Apparatus. 



times of no little difficulty ; particularly when one is 

 travelling, making large collections, and scantily 

 provided, relatively, with drying paper. 



M. Preanbert, in the meeting, April 28, 1882, 

 exhibited to the society an apparatus by which 

 speedy desiccation may be obtained ; but too difficult 

 for transport or to be useful on a tour. 



M. Vallot entertained us, June 8, 1883, with a sort 

 of scaffolding of his invention, but the process, all 

 ingenious as it is, nevertheless involves weight to a 

 certain extent ; moreover, the construction being 

 somewhat complicated, there would be always a 

 dread of the strings getting entangled, and its action 

 consequently hampered. Finally, it admits only of a 

 comparatively small amount of paper being dried. 



I thought it opportune, before the next extra- 

 ordinary session takes place, and when an oppor- 

 tunity would be afforded of testing it, to indicate to 

 my colleagues the plan which I adopt, and which 

 gives me every satisfaction. 



for the following particulars to one of our col- 

 leagues, who had it himself from a " brother of the 

 vasculum," M. Rouy. It is, while perfectly simple, 

 as strong as possible, and very handy. 



My parcel of plants to be dried and arranged 

 between a couple of unyielding boards is placed 

 between two narrow slabs of steel, pierced at either 

 end with a hole for the passage of a spirally grooved 

 rod, furnished with a stand below and a screw-nut 

 above ; these screw-nuts worked with a key ensure 

 as strong a degree of pressure as may be desired. 

 To prevent the ends of the rod from turning in the 

 socket of the stand below when being worked, the 

 lower end of the grooved rod should be made square 

 and to fit the socket, or else it should be provided 

 with a small peg which catches in a notch in the 

 stand ; and lastly, to ensure solidity to the apparatus 

 and its working quickly, it were well if the furrow of 



* These, M. Copineau states, are made of four or five doubled 

 sheets of paper, or of eight to ten single ones. 



