inly SO, 1874. 1 



JOUBNAL OF HOETIODLIUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENfiF. 



on 



Though hardy in average winters, it is said to suffer in 

 Feyere ones, nnloss planted in a northerly exposure; the in- 

 fluence of the sun's rays being more fatal than frost. 



Skimmia japonica is one of Mr. Fortune's numerous intro- 

 ductions, having been sent by him from the north of China to 

 Messrs. Standish & Noble, of Bagshot, on his second visit to 

 that conn try. — (IF. Thompson's EnglisliFlotccr Gardi'ii, Revised 

 hij the Author.) 



THE HERBARIUM. 



Having noticed that several correspondents have recently 

 asked for information with regard to the mode of collecting, 

 spreading-out, pressing, drying, and otherwise arranging plants 

 for the herbarium, I have thrown together the following hints, 

 trusting that the querists will derive more satisfaction from 

 their perusal in a connected form than they would had I sent 

 them in ho many detached replies. 



To begin from the beginning, I must impress on everyone 

 who would gather plants for the herbarium, to attend to the 

 following points — viz., 1st, AH plants gathered should be as 

 perfect as possible, showing root, leaves, flowers, and seeds, 

 and where these are not all present on the same plant at the 

 same time, a return should be made at a future period, to 

 secure such parts as may be missing at the first visit. 2nd, Par- 

 ticular care should be taken to carry the plants home in such 

 a manner as to prevent them from becoming flaccid through 

 evaporation. This is best attained by placing them on gather- 

 ing in a long tin box with a hinged lid, something like a large 

 sandwich-bos. This may be slung across the shoulder with a 

 strap, thus leaving the hands free. Besides this box the col- 

 lector should be provided with a small book of blotting-paper, 

 in which he wUl do well to place such plants as shed their 

 blossom easily, as, for example, the Veronica Chamaedrys. 

 ^rd, A note should always be made of the locality in which 

 the plant was found ; and mention of date of finding, and 

 time of flowering, etc., is also recommended. A short, strong, 

 steel trowel or spade is a very necessary companion, in order 

 to uproot plants without injuring their roots. Those who 

 intend to include the Conferv;e in their collections are advised 

 to carry with them a few sheets of gutta-percha tissue, in 

 which the gelatinous Algse can be roUed-up, without injury to 

 themselves or other plants. 



The next things to be provided are those connected with the 

 pressing and drying of the specimens. The point to be aimed 

 at is, to spread-out the plants in such a manner as to display 

 their foliage, roots, stems, flowers, &c., to the best advantage, 

 without stilYness or artifice ; and to dry them off as rapidly as 

 possible, under pressure, so as to cause them to retain, as far 

 as is in our power, their natural and distinctive colour and 

 form. To this end, different collectors make use of different 

 appliances, some using a screw-press, others weighted boards, 

 others again being satisfied with old books. As, however, the 

 amateur is Mable to become confused when many methods are 

 described, I shall limit myself to one, which I have always 

 found to work well, and which is well adapted to those whose 

 means are limited. 



Two pieces of board are to be procured, each 1 inch thick, 

 by 18 inches long, and 12 inches wide. In order to prevent 

 warping, these boards should be made with crossed pieces at 

 the ends. About 150 sheets of old newspapers are then cut out 

 to the same size as the boards — viz., IS inches by 12 inches. 

 Eight new bricks are then each neatly enclosed in glaze lining 

 covers, to serve as weights. All things being now in readiness 

 for pressing, the plants are to be taken from the tin box ; dead 

 and withered leaves having been removed, the roots are care- 

 fully cleared from all adhering soil (if possible without wash- 

 ing, but if washing be absolutely necessary, drying carefully 

 before placing on the paper), and notice is taken of the natural 

 disposition of the foUage, &o. One of the boards is now laid 

 on the floor, or table, where it is to remain, and a half-dozen 

 sheets of paper placed squarely over it. The plant is now 

 placed in the centre of the top sheet, or, if small, several plants 

 may be placed on the same sheet, and the branches laid out 

 as naturally as possible. The leaves should be so placed, that 

 when covered with the top board they should lie flat and 

 without folds. This may often be insured by pressing the leaf- 

 stalk (petiole) strongly with the thumb, at the point where it 

 is united to the stem. The same care must be taken with 

 regard to the flowers, roots, &c. Should the plant be very 

 thick in its stem, it is advisable to split the main stem and 

 remove half; the same may be done with thick tuberous, 



bulbous, or cormous roots. If the plant is very succulent, or 

 is aquatic, it will be well to place immediately above and below 

 it a sheet of paper which has been soaked in parafin or 

 stearino. The plant having thus been " set," three or four 

 sheets of paper are to be placed over it, the number depending 

 on the size and succulence, or moisture, of the specimen ; the 

 more moisture it contains, the more paper will it require. A 

 second specimen may now be placed on the paper, and arranged 

 as before, and so on until ten or twelve specimens, each in- 

 terleaved with six or eight sheets of paper, have been " set 

 out." The second board is then placed over all, and loaded 

 with bricks in such a manner as to obtain an equable and 

 suflicient pressure. The plants are allowed to remain under 

 pressure for about twenty-four hours, when the top board is to 

 be removed and placed on the floor. Half a dozen sheets of 

 paper are then placed on this, and the partially-pressed plants 

 removed from the old damp sheets. The plants will now be 

 found to be mi;ch more flaccid and obedient to the hand, so 

 that any little defects made in setting may easily be remedied. 

 Of course, care must be taken not to handle roughly, and to 

 place a sufficient number of sheets of paper between each 

 specimen to insure the moisture drying off rapidly. When all 

 the plants have been shifted, the board which was formerly at 

 the bottom is now placed at the top, and weighted with bricks 

 as before. These operations are repeated day by day, until 

 the plants are sufficiently dry and rigid to permit of their 

 being aflixed to paper, and placed in the herbarium. With 

 regard to the herbarium itself, a few words respecting the size 

 of sheets, &c., are necessary here, as upon these apparent mi- 

 nutiaj depends a great deal of the value of the collection. 



The sheets will be found most convenient if cut to the size 

 of 17 inches by 11 inches. The paper shotild be white, aa 

 that colour shows-up the specimens better than others ; but 

 the exact thickness or consistence is not very material. Com- 

 mon demy is as good as any for the purpose. With reference 

 to the mode of fastening the plants down to the paper, the 

 neatest mode is certainly to sew the main stems down in two 

 or three places, by passing the needle through the paper at 

 one side of the stem from above, and then out again at the 

 other side of the stem, the needle again coming out above. 

 The cotton is then knotted over the stem. This method 

 allows of easy removal of the specimens without injury, if it 

 is necessary to exchange or examine them from below. The 

 next neatest method is to fasten the plants down by means of 

 narrow gummed paper straps, about one-eighth of an inch in 

 width by three-quarters of an inch long. What must be 

 avoided, is to gum the specimen itself to the paper, as by so 

 doing it becomes useless for reference. With regard to label- 

 ling, I found it extremely convenient to use detached labels 

 2.1 inches long by 1 ; inch wide, on which I write the names, 

 Ac, and which I stitch down at the right-hand bottom comer 

 of the sheet. I prefer to stitch it down, as I can remove and 

 change the label at any time, if necessary through mistakes or 

 change of name occurring, without injuring the plant by re- 

 moval from its paper. A few words may now be said with 

 reference to the information furnished by the label. First, 

 then, we ought to have the Latin name of the genus to which 

 the plant belongs, then the name of the particular species. 

 Directly after this name should be placed the name of the 

 authority from which that name was taken (this is often left 

 out, and more often abbreviated) ; then should be written-in 

 the English name (if the specimen has one) ; to this should 

 follow the Linnean class and order to which it belongs ; then 

 the natural order; and last, but not least, the locality and 

 epoch at which the specimen was gathered, together with such 

 information as may be deemed important. 



Annexed is a form of label which we should use for the 

 Traveller's Joy : — 



Clematis Vitalba. — Linn. 



Traveller's Joy. 



Polyandria. Polygynia. 



N.O. RANUNCULACE^. 



Wallingtou, July 5, 1874. 



— S. BoiTONE. — (Enylish Mechanic.) 



LE HAVRE ROSE. 



In answer to your correspondent " P." as to Le Havre Eose, 

 It is a French variety, and was sent out in the autumn of 

 1871, a year which was as proUCc In good Koses as 1872 was 

 the reverse; for in that year we had of Teas Comtesse de 



