DIRECTIONS FOR PRESERVING PLANTS. 41 



but many other expedients are resorted to. Most plants dry 

 sufficiently well between the leaves of old books, and many 

 collectors save themselves the trouble of forming a neat collec- 

 tion, by huddling up their specimens in the least expensive or 

 laborious manner. 



Another method of putting up dried plants is the following : 

 The specimens are fastened to leaves of stout paper of uniform 

 size ; the species are then arranged in order, and all those of 

 the same genus are placed within one or more sheets of paper, 

 on the outside of which the generic name is written. The 

 generic fasciculi are then collected into bundles, on which are 

 written the names of the classes and orders. Some persons 

 keep their specimens loose within sheets of paper. This method 

 is the most convenient for the minute examination of the plants, 

 but has disadvantages which render it inexpedient in ordinary 



In fine, there is no mystery, nor even much art, in drying 

 plants very perfectly, and putting them up very neatly. The 

 skill and ingenuity requisite are slight compared with those 

 applied in making anatomical preparations, or in preserving 

 zoological specimens. Patience, constant attention, some taste, 

 and a good deal of enthusiasm, will enable one to make, what 

 however one seldom sees, a good herbarium. 



