BOTANY. 147 



of the former, that we are able to know, compare, 

 and describe plants, to distinguish their species, 

 and contribute to the progress of botany. By their 

 means alone, we can invariably fix the nomen- 

 clature and classification of vegetables. The tra- 

 vels of several naturalists have already rendered the 

 collection in the Museum very considerable, and 

 certainly the richest in Europe ; but it still wants 

 many things ; there are many gaps, which, in a few 

 years, will be doubled, unless those who visit foreign 

 countries will take some interest in filling them. 



This collection, which already occupies four 

 rooms in the Museum of the King, is composed or 

 herbals, fruits, dried or preserved in spirits, gums, 

 and resins, specimens of wood, and some other 

 productions of the vegetable kingdom, which may 

 be useful in medicine, or the arts. The trouble of 

 enriching it, is not so great as that required for the 

 augmentation of zoological collections. 



The plants which are destined for herbals ought, 

 as often as possible, to be gathered in flower, and 

 in fruit. When the plant is small, we take it 

 entire, even with the root ; when it is large, we cut 

 branches fifteen inches long ; we put the plants well 

 extended between leaves of paper, under a board, 

 using pressure to prevent them from curling up, and 

 which we do not remove until they have become flat. 

 It is generally sufficient for their perfect desiccation, 

 that the specimens should be separated by sev 

 H 2 





