126 WILD FLOWER PRESERVATION 



Plate VIII, Purple Iris) . Instead of cutting 

 the stem, professional botanists bend it 

 sharply into the shape of an inverted V or 

 even an N if it is very long, thus making the 

 doubled-up plant short enough to go on the 

 mounting-sheet. This method has the advan- 

 tage of honesty and scientific accuracy; it 

 proves that no part of the plant has been re- 

 moved or otherwise tampered with; but, of 

 course, it does make some portion of your plant 

 lie upside down and your specimens look rather 

 as if a mischievous small boy had knocked 

 them over with a stick. 



If the plant will not lie of itself as you want 

 it, hold the upper page of the folder in the left 

 hand, arrange the stem and open the leaves and 

 petals with the paint-brush while gradually 

 covering the plant with the paper as it is pre- 

 pared with the brush. 



The best method with some plants may be to 

 cover each leaf and flower with separate snip- 

 pets of blotting-paper ; to hold a group of such 

 snippets in place by a larger piece ; and to se- 

 cure the two or three larger pieces by the final 

 closing of the folder. This sounds fussy, but 



