ArR. 1896.] BOTANICAL SOClETi' OF EDINBUKGH. 



MEETING OF THE SOCIETY, 



Thursday, April 9, 1896. 

 Dr. AiTKEN, President, in the Chair. 



Mr. Tagg exhibited from the jMuseum of the Eoyal 

 Botanic Garden a glass jar containing a dissection of the 

 inflorescence of Jiiglans regia, to illustrate a method of 

 preparation of Museum jars by the cementing together 

 of plates of glass. The process is brietly this : — Pieces of 

 glass to make the sides of the vessel are prepared, the 

 edge being carefully smoothed, and then these are smeared 

 with a cement made in the following way: — 1 oz. Xelson's 

 amber gelatine is soaked in water for twelve hours, the 

 water not absorbed by the gelatine is then poured off and 

 the softened gelatine melted over hot water. To the melted 

 gelatine is now added 0"5 grammes of bichromate of 

 potassium and 10 drops of glycerine. The whole is well 

 stirred together. The cement is applied hot. 



In cementing the plates of glass care must be taken to 

 have the edges even, any uneveness of surface is likely to 

 lead to the cracking of the glass when the cement hardens. 



Mr. Tagg also explained that for fixing to glass for 

 exhibition, in spirit, gelatine is preferable to photoxylin in 

 the case of bulky and heavy subjects. The difficulty in 

 applying the gelatine consequent on its rapid setting in 

 spirit being got over by the use of a pipette with a hot- 

 water jacket. 



Professor Bayley Balfour informed the Society that 

 the magnificent collection of species of Masdcvallia brought 

 together at Newbattle by the Marquess of Lothian had 

 been acquired for the Eoyal Botanic Garden. A number 

 of specimens from the collection were exhibited. A large 

 series of species and hybrids of Primula in flower from the 

 Koyal Botanic Garden were also exhibited. 



Issued November 1896. 



