34 CIRCULAR NO. 126, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



avoid this difficulty a small folding caiiip stove ' Jiiade of sheet iron 

 and using wood for fuel may be used and the plant press suspended 

 from the limb of a tree (fig. 5) or from a tripod of green saplings. 

 The press should be 18 inches or 2 feet above the stove. These 

 stoves can be set up inside a tent, the tent being protected from the 

 funnel by an asbestos ring designed for this purj)Ose by dealers in 

 camp outfits, or in the absence of a tent a few boards or even a 

 thatched roof can be arranged to shelter the press from rain. Stoves 

 with liquid fuel are less satisfactory, apparently because of the 

 ajnount of water vapor in the heated air, the plants thying more 

 slowly and showing more tendency to blacken than with diy heat. 



An electric heater with a round disk about 6 inches in diameter has 

 been found satisfactory when the drying is done indoors and electric 

 current is available. The press may then be supported on a frame, 

 or even hung under a camera tripod and driers set on edge around 

 the legs to aid in retaining the heat. The press can also be suspended 

 along an ordinary cooking range, or even placed back of the range 

 with equally good results. Care should be taken in all forms of arti- 

 ficial heating to prevent the plants nearest the source of heat from 

 becoming too hot, as such heating will cause them to sweat and 

 blacken. The position of the press should be changed occasionally, 

 so that all sides may bo equally dried. Those fearing to injure the 

 plants by artificial heat will at least find a heating apparatus in- 

 valuable in drying the driers. In a dry, sandy, or desert region when 

 the sun is shining the driers will dry very rapidly if laid on the 

 ground, and in such situations it is preferable to lay the plants out 

 on the ground between the driers wdien the latter are to be dried. 

 An elastic band slipped over each end will prevent them from being 

 blown about, and they should be turned over two or three times at 

 short intervals. As soon as the driers are dry they should be returned 

 to the press, to prevent the plants from becoming wrinkled. 



ABBREVIATED DIRECTIONS FOR PREPARING SPECIMENS. 



Those wishing to prepare only an occasional specimen to send to 

 the Department for identification can make them of the size indicated 

 on page 29 and press them between pads consisting of several thick- 

 nesses of newspaper. These pads should be changed daily as long as 

 they are damp, and a board with a few bricks or heavy books may be 

 used for a weight. 



PREPARATION OF DATA. 



All specimens should be accompanied by a statement showing the 

 locality, date, and place of collecthig and the collector's number. 



> These may be obtained from dealers in campers' supplies. 



H'ir. 12tj] 



