THE MAKING OF AN HERBARIUM. 149 



localities just how much all these things have affected it. Botany is 

 not the study of scientific names, although many seem to think so ; it 

 is the study of the plants themselves. We are decidedly handicapped 

 in such study if we do not know the conditions under which our spec- 

 imens grew. 



After the locality the fact of most importance is the date. Spec- 

 imens are not valueless without it, but it should be added if possible. 

 It is customary, also, to add the collector's name ; in fact this is very 

 desirable when the other data have been secured. Labels are seldom 

 too circumstantial. They are usually lacking in such details as soil, 

 altitude and surroundings, facts which should never be omitted if it 

 can be avoided. 



NO I. 



The style of label plays an important part in the appearance of 

 the mounted specimen. The practice of embellishing labels with 

 fancy borders and choice selections of display type has happily gone 

 out. The present style is in the line of plain, neat slips, which tell 

 what they are meant to tell in the shortest, clearest way. Some blank 

 labels, taken from forms in actual use, will best illustrate this. No. 



PLANTS OF NEW YORK AND VICINITY. 

 Collected by Willard N. Clute. 



Hab. 



189 



NO. 2. 



