246 EN&MSH WILD FLOWEES. 



the dandelion and the cowslip, what pleasant remini- 

 scences start up to cheer the heart ! 



It is not a difficult matter to preserve the wild 

 flowers, and to classify them for future reference and 

 study, if they are gathered in dry weather, just as 

 the flower is mature, and the plant is at the height of 

 its vigour and beauty. 



The materials and implements necessary are a strong 

 pruning knife, a species of wallet, some eighteen 

 inches long, four inches deep and eight broad one 

 that can be suspended by straps from the shoulder 

 is the best. A very good one can be made by any 

 ingenious youth, out of a piece of bookbinder's mill- 

 board, and covered with leather or black American 

 cloth. It may be fitted with a strap or two to fasten 

 it. Tin boxes, japanned, are sold at the herbalists for 

 the purpose, but they are not so handy as a home- 

 made one. A smaller wallet for the pocket may be 

 made in a similar manner, to hold choice specimens 

 and the smaller varieties of plants. Each of these 

 cases should be fitted with strips of dry blotting-paper, 

 and a number of pieces of pasteboard or millboard, 

 covered with blotting-paper. The wallet and box 

 should be half filled with these. They may be held 



