BULLETIN 39, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [28] 



The labels may be made of stroQg white paper cut into pieces one by 

 two inches and each provided with a strong string. These are to be 

 used for the larger specimens that are put into the tanks. 



DIRECTIONS FOR COLLECTING. 



The collector should then, besides preparing specimens of plants for 

 the herbarium, also preserve some of the material in alcohol. Many 

 larger flowers, fruits, rootstocks, and roots are so fleshy, that their 

 preservation by drying does not give very satisfactory results. These 

 should therefore be preserved in alcohol — the larger specimens in the 

 copper tanks, the smaller in the test tubes; and the collector must 

 needs show great care in the preservation of the larger flowers, for in- 

 stance, in not putting these in the same tank with fruits, rootstocks, 

 etc. It is a good plan to wrap up the large flowers loosely in a piece 

 of paper or a leaf before putting them in the tank. 



As to the labeling of the specimens, it is to be recommended that 

 the collector keep a diary and write up very carefully the character 

 of each locality from which specimens have been collected. It would 

 be easiest for the collector to give each species a number, written on 

 the label, and which should refer to the same number in his notebook. 

 He could then, as prescribed above, make several notes in the diary, 

 without needing to copy them on the labels attached to the specimens. 

 It will always be a great help to the botanist who shall later Identify 

 the collection if the accompanying notebook contains as much informa- 

 tion as possible. The collector should therefore never forget to indicate 

 the station, for instance : Pond, swamp, shaded wood, sunny hillsides, 

 etc., besides a few remarks upon the plant, as, for instance, a tree, 

 vine, herb, etc., and the color of the flowers and fruits, if observed ripe. 

 The diary should then contain notes, as for instance: 



(1) "Fruit of a tall, woody, climber; very fleshy, deep red. Flowers 

 and leaves dried as number 54." 



(2) " Flower of aquatic, floating plant, light blue. Leaf dried as No. 

 73. Lake near X, State Y ; depth nearly 2 fathoms." 



(3) " Rootstock of herb, whitish, bitter taste. Leaves and flowers 

 dried as number 90. Dry plains near X, State Y." 



In regard to the material, which it would be advisable to preserve in 

 this manner, the following list might be quite sufQcient to give the col- 

 lector a general idea about it : 



FLOWERS. 



Large and rather succulent flowers, like those, as for instance, of or- 

 chids, pond lilies, etc., are to be carefully wrapped as prescribed above, 

 labeled, and put into one of the tanks. 



Very small flowers, with minute details, should be preserved in test 

 tubes, and never more than one species in each tube. These do not 



