190 FLORA AND THALIA. 



"Even in spreading plants between papers, we 

 should refrain from that precise and artificial disposi- 

 tion of their branches, leaves, and other parts, which 

 takes away from their natural aspect, except for the 

 purpose of displaying the internal parts of some one 

 or two of their flowers for ready observation. 



" Dried specimens are best preserved by being 

 fastened with weak carpenter's glue to paper, so that 

 they may be turned over without damage. Thick 

 and heavy stalks require the additional support of a 

 few transverse slips of paper, to bind them more 

 firmly down. A half sheet of a convenient size 

 should be allotted to each species. 



"One great and mortifying impediment to the 

 perfect preservation of an herbarium, arises from the 

 attacks of insects ; to remedy this inconvenience, I 

 have found a solution of corrosive sublimate of mer- 

 cury in rectified spirits of wine, about two drachms to 

 a pint, with a little camphor, perfectly efficacious, 

 applied with a camel-hair pencil when the specimens 

 are perfectly dry, not before ; and if they are not too 

 tender, it is best done before they are pasted, as the 

 spirit extracts a yellow dye from many plants, and 

 stains the paper. A few drops of this solution should 

 be mixed with the glue used for pasting. The her- 

 barium is best kept in a dry room, without a constant 

 fire." 



sin JAMKS edwaud smith's 



Introduction to Botany. 



