312 THE KINDS OF PLANTS 



between them. The sheets may be piled one above another, 

 until the pile becomes so high (10-16 inches) that it tends to 

 tip over. On the top place a board of the dimensions of the 

 drier, and apply twenty to thirty pounds of stones or other 

 weight. Change the driers but not the newspapers once 

 a day at first, laying the moist driers in the sun for a time. 

 In a dry warm place, most plants will dry in a week or ten 

 days. When thoroughly dried, they retain no soft, sappy, 

 fresh-green areas, and they usually break if bent sharply. 

 They will be perfectly flat. 



The use of corrugated paste-board has proved very satis- 

 factory in drying specimens. The board should be of the 

 same size as .the driers. Place one of the corrugated boards 

 upon a table; over it lay a drier; then the sheet containing 

 the specimen; over this a drier; then another corrugated 

 board, a drier, a sheet containing specimens, and so on. The 

 corrugations of the board provide air passages for the re- 

 moval of moisture absorbed from the specimens by the driers; 

 and, unless very succulent plants are being pressed, it is not 

 necessary to change driers at any time while the specimens 

 are drying. The pile should be weighted as described above. 



The specimen may now be secured to strong white 

 paper, known as "mounting paper." The regulation size 

 of the sheets is HJ^xlGJ^ inches. It is the quality of 

 heaviest ledger paper. By the ream, it can be bought for 

 one cent or less a sheet. The specimen should be large 

 enough nearly or quite to cover the sheet, unless the entire 

 plant is smaller than this. It may be glued down tight, as 

 one pastes pictures in a scrap-book, or it may be held in 

 place by strips of gummed paper. The former is the better 

 way, because the plants are not so easily broken. Only 

 one species should go on a sheet. In one comer, glue the 

 label. This label should give the place and date of collecting, 

 name of collector, and any information as to height, color, 

 nature of soil, and the like. Sooner or later, the label should 



