T. Kirk. — On the Preparation of Botanical Specimens. 325 



The Herbarium. 



A heterogeneous collection of dried plants, however well 

 preserved, is of very little service, and can scarcely be termed 

 an herbarium. The specimens must be named and arranged 

 in a systematic manner so as to admit of easy reference, in 

 order to economize time and labour. The herbarium may 

 comprise the plants of a small district only, as of the Port or 

 Provincial District of Nelson, or it may comprise the plants 

 of an entire continent. It should be kept in an air-tight and 

 dust-proof cabinet. 



The first point to be determined is the size of the 

 herbarium-sheets. Attention has been drawn to the desira- 

 bility of the drying-papers being of the same size as the 

 herbarium-papers, but the dimensions have not been con- 

 sidered. Much will depend upon the taste of the collector, 

 but practically the choice lies between foolscap, demy, and 

 folio. The first — 13in. by Sin. — although often used for private 

 collections, is rather too small to allow of characteristic speci- 

 mens of many New Zealand plants. The first cost of the 

 third — 20in. by 12in. or 14in.— is needlessly large, while it 

 is very cumbrous in the field, and involves an unnecessary 

 expenditure of time and labour, without securing any corre- 

 sponding advantage. Sheets of demy size, 18in. by lOin. or 

 llin., afford the maximum amount of convenience. In some 

 herbaria the sheets are equal in length and breadth. The 

 Linnean Herbarium is mounted on sheets of foolscap size ; 

 Bentham's Herbarium on small demy, 16iin. by llin.; 

 Cunningham's New Zealand Herbarium, on folio. 



The sheets should be non-absorbent, hard, firm, and of 

 even texture. A pale-brown tint similar to that of light 

 cartridge-paper is to be preferred 'to white. All papers used 

 in the herbarium should have perfectly even margins ; even 

 labels should not be exempted from this rule, as ragged mar- 

 gins invite the attacks of certain insects. 



For all public herbaria, at least, the specimens should be 

 poisoned before mounting. In private collections mounting 

 may be dispensed with, and the specimens simply laid on the 

 sheets. If the specimens are properly prepared, and con- 

 stantly inspected, poisoning is not absolutely necessary for 

 private collections. There is, however, great danger of the 

 introduction of insects through badly prepared specimens 

 received in exchange. I have never poisoned a specimen for 

 my own herbarium, although my experience has extended over 

 fifty years. Sometimes insects have been introduced in speci- 

 mens received from other collectors ; but it has always been 

 found possible to get rid of the invaders without poisoning, 

 although not before a small amount of injury has been done. 



