101 



scales, 'Siicli, for instance, as pine-cones, should be bound round 

 with paelv-thread. Soft and fleshy fruits can only be preserved 

 in wide^niouthed bottles, or jars, or casks (according to size) 

 in alcohol, as rum, arrack, or in diluted pyrolig-neous acid 

 or strong brine. Formalin is also a very convenient medium, a 5 

 per cent, solution, or 20 parts water to 1 of formalin, being gener- 

 ally sufficient, Fruits and fleshy plants will also travel well if 

 soaied in spirit or formalin for a few hours and then wrapped in 

 cotton wool saturated Avith either of these preservatives and 

 packed in tin boxes. In this way Postal and Customs require- 

 ments can be complied wath. 



2. Entire Plants, or parts of them. Many have a very fleshy 

 character and ought to be preserved entire in alcohol ; or, when 

 Tery large, portions of the stems and branches (according to their 

 size) with flowers and fruit may be adequate. This method is 

 <lesirable for such plants as Palms, Stapelia^ jRafflesiay and others 

 of a similar type. 



3. Trunks of Trees, portions and sections of them, especially 

 when they exhibit any remarkable structure : as Palms, and 

 many other MonocotyledonouQ plants, and Tree Ferns, Speci- 

 mens of wood should be in sections, a foot or more long, and 

 about the average diameter of the tree. The kinds used in com- 

 merce for veneering, cabinet-work, or other useful purposes, or 

 such as recommend themselves by their beauty, hardness, or any 

 other valuable quality, are particularly desired. The scientific 

 or other names, if known, should be attached, and specimens of 

 the leaves and flowers should be sent so as to admit of their 

 identification. 



4. Gums and Resins, Vegetable Waxes, especially tliose em- 

 ployed in the Arts or in Domestic Economy. 



5. Dye Stuffs of various kinds. 



6. Medicinal Substances.— These are of mnch importance, and 

 merit the attention of travellers in every country. ^\ ith regard 

 to many it is not yet known, except by the natives who collect 

 and prepare them, what are the particular plants that aftord 

 them, and how they are prepared. 



Vegetables; in the state of the raw 



ma 



and manufactured. It would be extremely difficult, 



M 



ouo-ht to contain; but the enlightened traveller can form a pretty 

 correct iudcjment. Such as are useful to mankind cannot tail 

 to be interesting. It would be idle to send every well-known 

 obiect of this kind, tea, sugar, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, pepper, 

 textiles, plaiting, basket-work, clothing, &c. ; but there are states 

 «ven of these familiar articles which may prove both useful and 



r 



instructive. 



in the case of samples of timber, of various fibres, dye-stnffs, 



