BOTANICAL EXCDESIONS. 25 



inner envelope, called the corolla^ and an outer one, called the 

 calyx. When there is but one envelope, as in the tnlip, this is 

 often called by the more general term of j9(?rm/i/A, which signi- 

 iies, surrounding the flower. Persons ignorant of botany, give 

 exclusively the name of floiver to these envelopes, which' are 

 often remarkable for the brilliancy of tlieir colors, the elegance 

 of their forms, and the fragrance of their perfumes. 



24. Method of preserving Plants, and of preparing an Herbarium. — Plants col- 

 lected for analysis, may be preserved fresh many days in a close tin box, by occa- 

 sionally sprinkling them with water ; they may also be preserved by placing their 

 stems in water, but not as well by the latter as the former method. The botanical 

 student should keep specimens of all the plants which he can procure. An herba- 

 rium {hortics siccus), neatly arranged, is beautiful, and may be rendered highly use- 

 ful, by affording an opportunity to compare many species together, and it likewise 

 serves to fix in the mind the characters of plants. It is a good method, in collect- 

 ing plants for an herbarium, to have a portfolio, or a book in wliich they may be 

 placed before the parts begin to wilt. Specimens should be placed between the 

 leaves of paper, either newspaper, or any other kind which is of a loose texture, 

 and will easily absorb the moisture of the plants ; a board with a weight upon it 

 should then be placed upon the jDaper containing them ; the plants should be taken 

 out frequently at first ; as often as once or twice a day, and the paper dried, or the 

 plants placed between other dry sheets of paper. Small plants may be di'ied be- 

 tween the leaves of a book. Plants differ in the length of time required for drying, 

 as they are more or less juicy ; some dry in a few days, others not sooner than two 

 or three weeks. When the specimens are dry, and a sufficient number collected to 

 commence an herbarium, a book should be procured, composed of blank paper 

 (white paper gives the plants a more showy appearance). A quarto size is more 

 convenient than a folio. Upon the first page of each leaf should be fastened one or 

 more of the dried specimens, either with glue, or by means of cutting through the 

 paper and raising up loops under which the stems may be placed. By the sides of 

 the plants should be written the class, order, generic and specific name, with natu- 

 ral order ; also the place where found, and the season of the year. The colors of 

 plants frequently change in drying; the blue, pale red, and wliite, often turn 

 black, or lose their color ; yellow, scarlet, violet, and green, are more durable. An 

 herbarium should be carefully guarded against moisture and insects ; as a security 

 against the latter, the plants may be brushed over with corrosive subhmate or 

 spirits of turpentine. 



25. Botanical Excursions. — x\s a healthful and agreeable exercise, w'e would 

 recommend to the young, and to others wishing to retain the vigor and elasticity of 

 youth, frequent botanical excursions; we experience most pleasure from the 

 science, by seemg the flowers in their own homes ; a dry grove of woods, the bor- 

 ders of little _ streams, the m-jadows, the pastures, and even the waysides, afford 

 constant subjects for botanical observations. To the hardier sex, who can climb 

 mountains, and penetrate marshes, many strange and interesting plants will present 

 themselves, wliich cannot be found except in their peculiar situations ; of these, 

 females must be content to obtain specimens, without seeing them in then- native 

 wilds. But it is generally easy to obtain such specimens, for there is among the 

 cultivators of natural science, a generosity in imparting to others the treasm'es 

 which nature lavishes upon those who have a taste to enjoy them. 



26. Poisonous Plants, and those which are not Poisonous. — In collecting flowers, 

 the student should be cautious with respect to poisonous ^gtlaxits,. Such as have five 

 stamens and one pistil, with a corolla of a dull, lurid color, and a disagreeable 

 BmeU, are usually poisonous ; the thorn-apple {stramonium) and the tobacco are 

 examples. The umbelliferous plants, which grow in wet places, liave usually a 



24. Method of preserving plants, and of preparing an herbarium.— 25. Botanical excursion*.— 26. Poi- 

 «onhus iilants, &c. 



