CHAPTER VII 

 THE ART OF PRESSING WILD FLOWERS 



Press immediately after identification Frail nature of 

 most wild flowers Rules for pressing plants Un- 

 natural, wizened specimens belonging to some 

 naturalists 'Dried plants must not resemble scare- 

 crows Methods of pressing plants How to press 

 knobby flower-heads successfully Changing the dry- 

 ing-papers Pressing fruits Use of a storing press. 



WILD flowers should be pressed as soon as pos- 

 sible after gathering or identification, for many 

 shed their petals so quickly that if this opera- 

 tion is delayed a day, much time and trouble 

 may be wasted. 



A great deal depends upon the condition of 

 the plants when gathered and also upon the 

 weather. A fully blown rose will shed its 

 petals in a few hours, and a younger one that 

 has been dashed by the rain will behave in 

 the same way. Rockroses and Cranes' Bills 

 are notorious offenders, for they drop to pieces 

 very soon after gathering. Plantains and 

 Goldenrod and especially Orchids conduct 



117 



