366 HERBARIUM. [chap, 



useful expedients in drying plants wliich it is needless 

 should be detailed here. 



The dried specimens should always be accurately labelled 

 with the locality, name of finder, name of the plant, and 

 any other details which may be thought desirable. They 

 may either be kept loose in sheets of paper, or (and 

 necessarily, if intended for use in a school, or for frequent 

 consultation) mounted upon sheets of stout cartridge-paper 

 of a larger size than foolscap, say about i6J ins. by lo ins. 

 A ream consists of 960 half-sheets, sufficient for as many 

 specimens. 



The specimens should be fastened to the Herbarium 

 paper with hot glue, about the consistency of cream, the 

 glue being laid on the specimens with a hair pencil. The 

 newly-mounted sheets should be placed between waste 

 paper or newspapers, and pressed overnight, before they 

 are finally retouched and placed in the Herbarium. Straps 

 of gummed thin paper may be fastened over the thicker 

 parts of the specimens, to prevent them breaking loose 

 from the paper when accidentally bent. 



The mounted specimens belonging to the same genus, or 

 a part of them if the genus be a large one, may be placed 

 in a folded sheet of a stronger and coarser paper than that 

 upon which the specimens are glued : upon this cover, at 

 the bottom, the name of the genus and of its Natural Order 

 may be marked. The Genera should be arranged in their 

 Natural Orders, the Natural Orders in their respective 

 Divisions and Classes, and the whole placed in a suitable 

 cabinet, which, however, need not be procured just at first. 



Whatever the form of the cabinet in which the Herbarium 

 is kept, it should be securely closed, so as to exclude dust., 

 and camphor should be placed upon the shelves, unless the 

 specimens are well washed over with a preservative solution 



