GENERAL NOTES 121 



The purposes such a list will serve are nu- 

 merous and varied. One of the most import- 

 ant of these is the information it imparts as 

 to plate, illumination, exposure, etc., which 

 have produced satisfactory negatives as guid- 

 ance in future cases of similar character, until 

 experience shall have given the worker intui- 

 tive knowledge, as it were, of the best meth- 

 ods of handling every class of subject. 



Numbering Negatives. Systematic work is 

 urged throughout, and from the very begin- 

 ning. One most important point is the num- 

 bering of every negative in a permanent and 

 legible manner. This should be done before 

 exposure, to guard against forgetfulness and 

 possible confusion afterward. There may be 

 various plans adopted. My own, which has 

 stood the test of practical use during many 

 long years, is simple in the extreme. The 

 only tools required are a good lead-pencil of 

 medium hardness only (indeed it is better to 

 incline somewhat to the soft side), with a 

 fairly blunt point, and a sheet of cardboard 

 sufficiently large to cover the plate. When 

 about to place the latter in holder, lay it, face 

 upward, in front of the ruby lantern, covered 

 by the card, excepting a narrow strip of its 

 lower edge, to protect it from the light. 



