146 THREE ACRES AND LIBERTY 



the uncleaned or mixed drugs accordingly. It is the bright, 

 natural looking root, leaf, or plant that will bring a good 

 price. 



After washing, the roots should be carefully dried by ex- 

 posing them to light and air, on racks or shelves, or on clean, 

 well-ventilated barn floors, or lofts. They should be spread 

 out thinly and turned occasionally from day to day until 

 completely cured. When this point is reached, in perhaps 

 three to six weeks, the roots will snap readily when bent. 

 If dried out of doors they should be placed under shelter at 

 night and upon the approach of rain. 



Some roots require slicing and removing fibrous rootlets. 

 In general, large roots should be split or sliced when green in 

 order to facilitate drying. 



Barks of trees should be gathered in spring, when the sap 

 begins to flow, but may also be peeled in winter. In the case 

 of the coarser barks (as elm, hemlock, poplar, oak, pine, and 

 wild cherry) the outer layer is shaved off before the bark 

 is removed from the tree, which process is known as " rossing." 

 Only the inner bark of these trees is used medicinally. Barks 

 may also be cured by exposure to sunlight, but moisture must 

 be avoided. 



Leaves and herbs should be collected when the plants are 

 in full flower. The whole plant may be cut and the leaves 

 may be stripped from it, rejecting the coarse and large stems 

 as much as possible, and keeping only the flowering tops and 

 more tender stems and leaves. 



Both leaves and herbs should be spread out in thin layers 

 on clean floors, racks, or shelves, in the shade, but where there 

 is free circulation of air, and turned frequently until thor- 

 oughly dry. Moisture will darken them. 



Flowers are collected when they first open or immediately 



