676 PHARMACEUTICAL BOTANY 
roots, etc., may be made in the same way, only a groove should 
be made in the pith of such size as is necessary to hold the material 
firmly enough without crushing it. In certain instances, when, 
because of the smallness of the object and its resistance to cutting, 
good sections can not readily be made with the aid of pith, a 
small sized cork stopper can be used with better results. A hole 
just large enough to prevent the object from slipping is made in 
the center of the smaller end and the object inserted preparatory 
to sectioning. The upper surface of the razor is wetted with 
50 per cent. alcohol. The razor, which should be real sharp, is 
held in the right hand and is drawn across the object with the 
edge toward the student and the blade sliding on the forefinger 
of the left hand. The sections should be cut as thin as possible. 
Small bits of representative parts of entire sections yield better 
results when examined under the microscope than complete sec- 
tions which have been cut too thick. As soon as a number of 
sections have been cut, they can be transferred to a vessel of 
water with a camel’s hair brush, before they become dry. If 
the sections are cut from fresh material and are to be stained, 
they should be placed in 95 per cent. alcohol for at least several 
minutes prior to staining. If from material preserved in forma- 
lin solutions, they should be washed in water. 
Surface sections of leaves may occasionally be prepared by 
stripping off the leaf epidermis. In most instances, however, 
the leaf epidermis adheres firmly to the subjacent tissue and it 
becomes necessary to employ different technique. A good 
practice is to bend the leaf over the index finger of the left hand 
and hold it firmly between the index finger and the third finger 
on the one end and with the thumb on the other. Another 
method is the following: Place a representative portion of the 
leaf not over }4 inch square in a watch crystal with 10 per cent. 
to 25 per cent. chloral hydrate solution, warm gently for several 
minutes, according to the texture of the leaf, transfer to a clean 
slide, add a drop or two of chloral hydrate solution, cover with 
cover slip and exert pressure on the cover slip with a rotary 
movement, describing the figure 8. The epidermis will thereby 
usually separate from the underlying tissues. It sometimes 
becomes necessary to study large areas of the epidermis of 
