10 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



single leaf, of Heaven only knows what, sent me the other 

 day for a name, the honest sender taking it for granted 

 that the galls thereon were the reproductive parts! I 

 have seen other innocent seekers after truth forcibly wnpe 

 off the son of ferns, wondering w^hy they were so diseased ! 

 "A little learning is a dangerous thing;" no learning at 

 all makes one feel as if he could gladl3^ join a botanical 

 hmching part3^ 



If people cannot afford to get some accepted account 

 of processes of collecting, such as appear in most older 

 text-books (and wall again in the new), or in the writers 

 "Botanizing," the following few simple rules may help him 

 and save his willing correspondent from a premature 

 grave. 



1st. Collect all you can of a plant, subterranean 

 parts, roots, bulbs, etc., also stem, leaves, open flowers 

 and, if possible, fruit. 



2d. Don't be in a hurry ; give the plant time to assert 

 itself. 



3d. Don't collect the tallest or most robust of a kind , 

 but the general average. 



4th. Don't send while at all damp. Don't roll up, or 

 mix with cotton w^ool. 



5th. Press in some w^a3% either in an old book, in 

 newspapers, filter or blotting paper, or by means of the 

 professional driers. Tell place and date of collection and 

 whether in dry or wet land. 



6th. Keep the plants in thin folios of light bibulous 

 paper while drying. Don't change these or remove the 

 specimens therefrom. 



7th. Change the driers frequently and use lots of 

 them ; the more the better. 



8th. If an herbaceous plant is tall, bend it into an N 

 or M shape. 



9th. Collect in full fruit, even at sacrifice of the flow- 

 ers, Cruciferas, Umhelliferae, genus Potamogeton, genus 

 Carex, etc. Grasses, on the contrary, should be in /lower. 



10th. See some good herbarium, profit by it. Pitch 



