ON PRESERVING PLANTS. 219 



Having in this manner arranged a certain number of plants, the 

 collector has now to arrange them. For this purpose he has to pro- 

 cure a quantity of good stout writing or printing paper of large size, 

 folded into folio, which is to be stitched in coloured covers, making 

 fasciculi of five or six sheets each. A quantity of fine large post or 

 other writing paper, in half sheets, folio size, cut round the edges, is 

 also to he at hand. Let a number of narrow slips of different lengths 

 be cut from a piece of the same paper, and let some prepared 

 isinglass or dissolved gum be in readiness, together with a camel-hair 

 pencil. Take a dried plant, lay it upon a leaf of the fine cut paper, 

 then fasten it down by means of a few of the slips, to which isinglass 

 or gum has been applied, laid across the stem and some of the 

 branches. Two or three slips are generally sufficient for a plant or 

 specimen. In this manner all the dried plants destined to form part 

 of the herbarium are treated. Write the name of each species on the 

 top of the leaf, and transcribe the notice respecting the place in 

 which it was gathered, &c, at the bottom. Then arrange the plant 

 according to system, and lay one between every two pages of the fas- 

 ciculi. The fasciculi are formed into bundles, by being laid alter- 

 nately up and down upon each other, as they do not lie conveniently 

 when the heads of the plants are all at the lop of the bundle, because 

 the stalks and roots are thicker than the flowers. These bundles, 

 consisting each of ten fasciculi, may be covered by pieces of paste- 

 board tied by strings. The collection is kept on the shelves of a 

 cabinet, or in a chest. To prevent the attacks of insects, it is neces- 

 sary to keep beside it a piece of sponge soaked full of rectified oil of 

 turpentine ; and to ensure it against decay from damp, it ought to be 

 kept in a dry and well ventilated place. 



The above is an orderly method of forming a herbarium ; but 

 many other expedients are resorted to. Most plants dry sufficiently 

 well between the leaves of old books, and many collectors save them- 

 selves the trouble of forming a neat collection, by huddling up their 

 specimens in the least expensive or laborious manner. 



Another method of putting up dried plants is the following : — The 

 specimens are fastened to leaves of stout paper of uniform size; the 

 species are then arranged in order, and all those of the same genus 

 are placed within one or more sheets of paper, on the outside of 

 which the generic name is written. The generic fasciculi are then 

 collected into bundles, on which are written the names of the classes 

 and orders. Some persons keep their specimens loose, within sheets 

 of paper. This method is the most convenient for the minute ex- 

 amination of the plants, but has disadvantages which render it inex- 

 pedient in ordinary cases. 



