INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY. XXIX 



collector should aim at completoiess. Fragmods, such as loaves without 

 flowers, or flowers without leaves, are of comparatively little use. 



186. All small phuitu, not excoecling' 15 inches in height, should he 

 plucked up hy the roots, the whole plant forming a single specimen ; or, 

 if a many-stemmed plant, or one much branched near the base, and which 

 if di-ied whole would make too dense a mass of branches or stems, it may 

 be divided, at the oy'igUi of the branehes, into several specimens. 



187. If the plant to be dried be of greater length than 15 inches, and if 

 it bo thought desirable — either from the lower leaves differing from the 

 upper, or from the branches being long and naked — to prcseiwe the stem 

 tDibroken^ the specimen may be folded in lengths of 15 inches. This is 

 often done with Granses^ Sedges, and Feni.s ; and should be done in the 

 cases of all long-stemmed, lax-leaved herbaceous, and -with tall bulbous 

 plants, in order to preserve an indication of their habit. 



188. Herbaceous plants of large size, and specimens of the branches of 

 shrubs and trees must be broken into pieces, say 10-15 inches long, the 

 length varjong with the nature or ramifications of the plant. The object 

 is to preserve as much of the peculiar aspect of the plant as is possible. 



189. At least a dozen specimens of each plant should (when practicable) 

 be gathered, for the purpose of exchanging with other botanists. A col- 

 lector can scarcely have too many duplicates, especially when liis explora- 

 tions are made in a little-frequented district. Many collect much more 

 extensively. 



190. The collector should be provided with: — 



1. A quantity (at his discretion) of any stout, coarse, unsized paper, 



of uniform dimensions, say 12 inches by 18. Old newspapers 

 answer the pm-pose, and common packing-paper, whity-brown, 

 or bro'WTi, is most excellent. Blotting-imper is much too tender 

 and expensive. 



2. A smaller quantity of very thin, unglazed paper, or chemist's 



filteriug-paper, for drjdng plants with delicate corollas (see 200). 



3. Several flat, perforated boards, the size of the paper. Open 



wooden fi-ames, with cross-bars, or frames of strong wire-work 

 lattice, are better than boards, as they permit a freer evapora- 

 tion. 



4. A light x>ortfolio of pasteboard, covered with calico, fitted up with 



12-20 leaves of strong brown paper, furnished with a strap and 

 buckle for closing, and another for slinging over the shoulders, 

 is better and more portable than the old-fashioned collecting- 

 box. The specimens, as gathered, are placed between the 

 leaves, and may be crowded together, if not left too long- 

 without sorting. 



5. A bag or haversack is also useful for collecting rigid-leaved or 



shi'ubby plants that might injure those in the portfolio. 



191. If the plants be gathered in dry w^eather, no time should be lost in. 

 placing them under pressure ; but they may be preserved for a day or two, 

 if sprinkled M-ith water, and enclosed in a tin box in a cool situation. Ticket 

 the specimens, and add notes made whilst collecting. 



192. On returning from the field, sort the specimens into those that are 

 Jleshg or juieg, and those that are of a drier nature, and dry them in 



separate bundles. If mixed together, the former are very apt to injiu'e 

 the latter, and to retard their drying. 



193. The di-ying process is as follows : — Take one of the flat boards or 

 frames, and lay three or four sheets of the di-ying-papcr upon it. On 

 these lay specimens, placing them as closely as they will he without over- 

 lapping each other. Cover the specimens with a similar layer of paper ; 

 and on this lay other specimens ; repeating alternately a layer of paper 



