206 
ings. Great care should thus be exercised in 
order that only suitable moss be collected. To 
this end it is often wise to carry a sample of 
approved sphagnum for comparison until one 
is quite familiar with the work. 
In the bog it bas been found most convenient 
to take a small handful of moss at a time and 
to shake it lightly to get rid of most of the for- 
eign matter, such as leaves, twigs, roots, ete. 
If wet, squeeze out as much water as possible 
before putting it in the bag, but do not wring 
it, as that will break and injure the stem. 
The depth to which usable moss extends 
varies with the species and environment. In 
many cases beds of Sphagnum imbricatum 
may be worked to advantage a foot to eighteen 
inches or even farther, depending on whether 
the plants remain intact or whether a partial 
decay has begun. Jn general, whenever the 
plants begin to break up as a result of the first 
stages of decay, they must be discarded; but 
as long as they remain intact, with stem 
fairly well crowded with lateral branches, they 
may be used, the color playing little or no part 
in determining the suitability. While gather- 
ing moss it is wise to secure all the good moss 
in a given space before proceeding to another, 
because after a growth has once been disturbed 
the adjoining plants usually deteriorate and 
sometimes die. 
After it is taken from the bog the moss 
should be removed to some shelter and spread 
out to dry. This may be done on the grass if 
the weather is fine, otherwise on suitable racks 
which usually prove more satisfactory, or on 
the floor of some empty building, although care 
must be taken not to put it on valuable floor- 
ing, as the dampness is apt to do some dam- 
age. : 
The collection of moss is one of the most 
important phases in the making of sphagnum 
pads. Much depends upon the condition of 
the moss when it reaches the sorter if their 
work is to be most efficient. It has been found 
that carelessness or thoughtlessness on the 
part of the collector often decreases the effi- 
ciency of the sorter far out of proper propor- 
tion. 
The most tedious part of making sphagnum 
SCIENCE 
[N. S. Vou. XLVIII. No, 1235 
pads is picking over and sorting the moss, and 
this is greatly increased by careless gather- 
ing. The sorting should be done in some cen- 
tral place and completed before the moss is 
dry. If inadvertently the moss becomes too 
dry it should be spread out in a gentle rain 
for a short time or sprinkled with water and 
left over night with an oil-cloth spread over it. 
HOW SPHAGNUM PADS ARE MADE 
Like many other things in connection with 
this war, the directions for making surgical 
dressings from sphagnum have not been static, 
but progressive. From time to time valuable 
suggestions as to where the pads could be im- 
proved have been received from surgeons at the 
front who have been actually using them. 
Acting on these suggestions, the British have 
gradually inereased the efficiency of their moss 
dressings. More recently the American Red 
Cross, after some experimentation under the 
direction of Dr. John A. Hartwell, has 
adopted a different dressing which promises to 
be even more efficient than the one authorized 
by the British War Office. But the last word 
has not yet been said on sphagnum for surgical 
dressings. The American type of sphagnum 
dressing is composed of gauze, a thin sheet of 
wood pulp paper, non-absorbent cotton and 
sphagnum. The sizes of the dressings will 
vary from time to time as the War Depart- 
ment may recommend. The first half million 
pads allotted to the Northwest Division of the 
Red Cross consists of two sizes, 8 in. by 12 in. 
and 12 in. by 24 in. 
In making one of these dressings, a piece of — 
Zorbik or Scott tissue* of appropriate size is 
placed on the table and on it a wooden frame 
corresponding to the particular size to be 
made. The frame, which is about three quar- 
ters of an inch deep, is filled evenly with moss 
over which a thin layer of non-absorbent cot- 
ton is placed and then the frame removed. 
The margins of the tissue are then folded 
over the cotton and sphagnum. It is usually 
convenient to use spring clothes-pins to hold 
4 Zorbik or Scott tissue is a very thin wood-pulp 
paper used to envelop the sphagnum and prevents 
it from sifting out. ; 
