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SELECTION AND PRESERVATION FOR THE HERBARIUM. 



FERNS are amongst the best of all plants for preservation in 

 the form of an herbarium ; for in addition to their elegant 

 appearance when nicely dried and arranged on sheets of clean 

 white paper, they are less liable than most plants to the 

 attacks of the destructive pests in the shape of insects, 

 which commit such havoc among dried plants in general. 

 We must give our inexperienced readers a few hints on the 

 selection of specimens for this purpose. 



The process of drying we need not describe in detail ; we 

 shall merely remark, that they should be dried quickly, 

 under moderately heavy pressure, among sheets of absorbent 

 paper, which must be replaced by dried sheets as long as the 

 plants continue to give out moisture. The thicker the bulk 

 of paper placed between the specimens whilst under pressure, 

 the better. Two or three changes will generally be sufficient, 

 if the substituted sheets be in each case perfectly dry. 



The smaller growing kinds should be gathered, if possible, 

 in the tufts as they grow, preserving the whole mass of 



