HERBARIUM. 



250 



HERBARIUM. 



Trillium grandiflorum, 12, pure white. 

 Tritama pumila, 12, orange. 



,, uvaria (Red-hot Poker Plant), 36, spike 



bright red at top, orange below. 

 Trollius Asiaticus, 12, orange. 



Europaeus, 12, golden yellow. 

 Tussilago fragrans, 12, white. 

 Valeriana rubra, 18, red. 



Veratrum nigrum, 48, white, on straight stem. 

 Verbascum Phceniceum, 48, yellow, in spikes. 

 Vinca major (Periwinkle), 18, trailer, bluish lilac. 

 Viola cornuta, 3, various tints of blue. 



,, odorata (Common Violet), 3, various colours. 

 Zauschneria Californica, 12, scarlet. 



Herbarium, or Hortus Siccus. 



Plants intended for the herbarium should 

 be gathered in flower, and when small, 

 they should be taken with the root. The 

 plants, in this state, are placed between 

 leaves of paper prepared for the purpose, 

 and between two boards, or under one, from 

 which they are not removed until they 

 have become perfectly flat. Where there 

 are conveniences for so doing, the packet 

 may, with great advantage, be placed in an 

 oven. When dry, change the paper. 

 Some plants, as orchids and bulbs, will 

 sometimes vegetate for months in the her- 

 barium after they have been placed there. 

 If plunged into boiling water for a minute, 

 and immediately afterwards placed between 

 paper, their drying will be more rapid. If 

 the plants are unknown or new, indicate 

 their popular names, the height at which 

 they were procured, and their habit ; also 

 their size, as well as their odour. 



In order to be prepared for collecting, 

 provide some sheets of paper of a suitable 

 size (16 inches by 12 is a good size) and 

 several boards of the same proportion. 

 These should be formed of two thin boards 

 glued together, the grain of the one trans- 

 verse to the other. These may be connec- 

 ted together by means of straps, so as to 

 communicate considerable pressure. A 

 large book of blotting-paper between two 

 other similar planks will complete this 

 temporary herbarium. 



Insects are the bane of all collections ; 



and great care is required in order to pre- 

 serve the plants that have been collected. 

 Sir James Smith used a wash composed of 

 corrosive sublimate two drachms, spirits of 

 wine, in which a small piece of camphor 

 was dissolved, one pint. This wash should 

 be lightly applied, so that all the raphides 

 of the flowers, and the fleshy parts of the 

 plant, are saturated with it. 



Beautiful specimens are prepared by an 

 apparatus to which the name of M. Le Coq, 

 professor of natural history at Clermont- 

 Ferrand, has been given. This apparatus 

 consists of two open covers made of strong 

 iron-wire network, having an iron frame 

 round them, in which the plants are placed 

 between thick blotting-paper. After they 

 have been kept under pressure for a few 

 hours, the covers are compressed by means 

 of straps; and the open network of the 

 frame allows the moisture to escape freely 

 while the plants are gradually dried. 



There is a mode of preparing the skele- 

 ton leaves of plants which forms a very 

 beautiful object in itself, but which is still 

 more interesting from the manner in which 

 it exhibits the cellular system of plants, 

 with which we shall supplement these 

 remarks. 



Get the leaves from the middle of sum- 

 mer to September ; put them in one 

 gallon of soft water, let them soak for 

 about a month, and then take out a leaf and 

 try it ; if it is ready, the green coat will rub 

 off directly, and leave the fibre. Some 

 will take two months before they are ready, 

 but you can always tell by rubbing the 

 leaf in the way above described. After 

 obtaining the skeleton of the leaves, place 

 them in one quart of water, with two table- 

 spoonfuls of chloride of lime, well mixed : 

 let them remain about twelve hours, and 

 they will be perfectly white. Keep them 

 n a close box until you want to use them. 

 The best and most ornamental way to 

 mount them, is to get either round or oval 



