THE PLANT WOELD 87 



a loop at one end through which the other end is passed. I tighten 

 the five cords in succession, each several times, till they seem almost 

 ready to break. I cannot fully describe how I tighten up the bundle, 

 or how I strain and temporarily fasten the cords, but it is all done 

 easily and quickly, and the result is a perfectly compact package. I 

 often place strii)s of light strawboard at the ends or corners before 

 wrapping. 



Some of my " hints " may be regarded as of too little importance 

 for publication. That consideration may have deterred the author of 

 " Botanizing " from touching on the same points. His book nearly cov- 

 ers the subject, but for which fact I should not have attempted a sub- 

 ject requiring so much space for comj)rehensive treatment. The com- 

 paratively simple treatment of the cellular cryptogams is well covered 

 by the specialists who contributed chapters on those orders. The book 

 should be in the hands of all collectors. 



I am more painstaking than most collectors, yet I would be still 

 more so if I had the financial resources which the Biltmore botanists 

 enjoy. I do not try to equal their work in some respects, because it 

 would increase my expenses too much. I try to recover my cash out- 

 lay from the subscribers to my distributions, but have not done more 

 than that except in the years wdien I had commissions for forestry work, 

 when I had at least my expenses paid and valuable sets of woods to sell. 

 For the great amount of time consumed I get no return except the sat- 

 isfaction of feeling that I am doing useful and long-enduring work. It 

 is a healthful pursuit, full of incident and adventure, one more to my 

 liking than any other, and I expect to follow it as long as my x)hysical 

 ability holds out. 



Jacksonville, Florida. 



The cork tree is an evergreen oak {Quercus suber), about the size of 

 our apple tree, and grown largely in Spain for commercial uses. The 

 bark is stripped in order to obtain the cork, which is soaked and then 

 dried. The moment the cork is peeled off, the tree begins to grow 

 another cork skin, and each new one is better than the last, so the older 

 the tree the better the cork. The trees are stripped about every eight 

 years, and so strong does it make them that they often live to the age 

 of 200 years. After the bark is stripped off it is trimmed and dried 

 and flattened. Then it is packed and shipped to all parts of the world. 



