6 ON COLLECTING PLANTS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



For pressure at home, or when stationary for any length of 

 time in a given spot, nothing serves better than a weight of any 

 kind (a folio book, a large stone, Sec.) put upon the topmost 

 board ; the great advantage of this is, that the weight follows 

 the shrinking of the plants beneath. 



Whilst travelling, three leathern straps with buckles should 

 be procured, two to bind the boards transversely, and one longi- 

 tudinally. It will be further desirable to have a number of 

 pieces of pasteboard of the same size as the paper, to separate 

 different portions of the collection, either such as are hi differ- 

 ent states of dryness, or snch as are by their hard woody nature 

 might otherwise press upon and injure the more delicate kinds. 

 Thus provided, gather your specimens ; if the plants be small, 

 foot and stem ; if large, cut off branches of a foot, or a foot and a 

 half long selectmg always such as are in flower, and others in a 

 more or less advanced state of fruit. 



Place them side by side, but never one upon another on the 

 same sheet ; and lay upon them one, two, or three sheets, ac- 

 cording to the thickness of the plants, or their more or less suc- 

 culent nature ; and so on, layer after layer of paper and speci- 

 mens, subjecting them to pressure. 



As soon as you find the paper has absorbed a considerable por- 

 tion of the moisture, (which will be according to the more or less 

 succulent nature of thespecimens, and the heat or dryness of the 

 climate or season) remove the plants into fresh papers, and let 

 the old papers be dried for use again, either in the open air, or 

 sun, or in a heated room, or before the fire. 



As to the spreadiRg out of the leaves or flowers with small 

 weights, penny pieces, &c. it is quite needless, the leaves and 

 flowers are best displayed by nature in the state in which you 

 gather them, and they will require little or no assistance with 

 the hand, when laid out upon papers, to appear to the best ad- 

 vantage, especially if put on carefully when fresh gathered. 



If the specimens cannot be laid down immediately on being 

 gathered, they should be preserved in a tin box, or failing that, 

 in a rush basket, where they will keep for a day or two if the 

 atmosphere be not very much heated. 



Some very succulent plants, such as Cacti, Semperviva, Seda, 

 Orchideous plants which grow on trees, &c. require to have 

 their specimens, plunged in boiling water for a few seconds before 



