66 THE PLANT WOELD 



presses and a large " telescope " are carried, besides the small one for 

 collecting. In the large one is carried my largest tin box, inside of 

 which are placed articles liable to damage by pressure, especially dried 

 specimens, until there is enough to send off by express. After strap- 

 ping the presses so tightly as to defy the efforts of the baggage smash- 

 ers, covers of brown denim are slipped over them, stout cords are 

 passed around them crosswise and straps lengthwise, and they are 

 ready to be checked. A tiimk as stout and heavy as I would need is 

 objectionable on various accounts, I get along far better without one. 



As to that very important article, the press. Professor Bailey de- 

 scribes only one with weights, which I always regarded as the lady's 

 press. I attribute this preference to his morbid fear of "crushing" 

 specimens, a delusion which is a j)rolific source of bad specimens, like 

 imperfect drying and the pressing of 'Adlted plants. One objection to 

 such specimens is their special liability to breakage unless packed with 

 exceptional care — and they do not show all the breaks till they come 

 to be poisoned and mounted. My presses consist of driers, sheets of 

 specimens, pads, boards and straps, and they are so compact that they 

 may be tumbled about like blocks of wood. The driers are cut from 

 rolls of felt paper to the size of 12 by 17 inches, the cost not exceeding 

 one cent each. The specimen sheets measure 11 by 16 inches; if larger 

 than this, many specimens would be too large to look well on the 

 mounting sheets. Some collectors use sheets measuring 12 by 18 

 inches, and send out specimens which need to be broken or cut. The 

 pads consist of folded driers, and are used for keeping the press level 

 and compact, a need often felt in pressing many specimens of a kind. 

 The boards are of the same length and width as the driers, and are 

 made of half-inch poplar with yellow pine cleats, which bear the whole 

 strain. The cleats run lengthwdse of the boards, and are smoothed and 

 rounded at the ends, which allows the straps to be pushed off without 

 the exertion of unl^uckling. The straps are made of the best harness 

 leather, one inch wide, with rounded edges and with holes for the 

 buckle rather close together, so long, and with the holes so disposed 

 that the press may vary from a few inches to two feet in height — in 

 traveling it never exceeds twenty inches. The straps are passed around 

 the i)ress about three inches from either end, and are tightened alter- 

 nately. A combination of pressure with the left foot and leverage with 

 both hands is what does the work. To avoid strains, I have learned to 

 use the hands in a certain way, different for each strap, but knacks of 

 this sort cannot well be described. A few hours after putting a fresh 

 lot of specimens in press, the straps need to be tightened again. 



( To be continued. ) 



