I04 



SCIENCE- G OS SI P. 



HINTS ON DEYING^ FLOWERS. 



Br THE Rev. F. H. Woods. 



AMATEURS and even skilled botanists are 

 often much disappointed at the shrivelled 

 and discoloured appearance of their specimens. 

 Experience, however, shows that with proper 

 means and sufficient care both defects may be 

 generally avoided. The secret of success lies 

 principally in three things : (1) ventilation, with 

 some degree of heat if possible; (2) absorbent 

 cotton-wool ; (3) the use of acids when necessary. 



The first is pretty well known and practised by 

 botanists who use various sorts of ventilating ap- 

 pliances ; but a daily, or twice daily, change of 

 papers thoroughly dried in the sun or before a hot 

 fire is all that is really necessary. In the case of 

 succulent iiowers like bluebells, it is advantageous 

 to place the specimens, properly protected, for 

 a while, or even altogether, in the sun. By this 

 method such leaves as those of bluebells, may be 

 made to preserve their colour. 



Very few specimens can be dried satisfactorily 

 without the use of absorbent cotton-wool. This 

 should be i)laced on both the leaves and the 

 flowers. It prevents them from shrivelling, and goes 

 far towards preserving the colour of both. When 

 used, too great pressure is not needed, and is 

 indeed harmful. Specimens should on no account 

 be brui.sed. Flower-presses of the clothes-press 

 type are an abomination. With cotton-wool 

 specially prepared drying-paper is quite unne- 

 cessary. There is nothing better than newspaper, 

 foreign newspaper especially— the worse in quality 

 the better for this purpose. Some flowers, how- 

 ever, are too delicate for this method. I have 

 obtained excellent results with Oxalis aoetosella 

 by placing it between sheets of tissue paper with 

 just a suspicion of cotton-wool on the petals only. 

 This plan is the best also with -delicate ferns, which 

 dry so rapidly that ventilation is unnecessary, but 

 perfect flatness essential The use of cotton-wool, 

 with proper ventilation, in most cases is quite 

 sufficient for a very large number of flowers, 

 especially yellow ones, such as Potentillae, prim- 

 roses, buttercups, and several white, such as wood- 

 anemones and water Ranunculi, which will keep 

 their colour perfect!}' if dried rapidly and with 

 frequent changes of jDaper. Here it may be well 

 to mention the advantage of taking off on paper 

 water-plants like water Ranunculi and Utriculariae. 

 The living specimens should be floated in water, a 

 sheet of white or tinted paper being then placed 

 underneath, and the whole plant carefully lifted 

 80 that the water gradually flows off, leaving the 

 specimens with the leaves si)read out on the paper. 

 This is troublesome to execute, and requires some 



practice ; but it is essential for success, as it is- 

 the only way of getting the dried specimens tO' 

 resemble the living plant. With such plants 

 cotton-wool is only necessary for the flowers. 

 Several blue flowers, such as forget-me-nots and- 

 the smaller gentians like Genticma veniaUs, dO' 

 very well with cotton-wool ; but the colour of 

 Campanulae usually goes, uxiless dried vrith con- 

 siderable heat from the sun or by crossing with a 

 warm flat-iron ; yet even so it is often not per- 

 manent. 



Many flowers, especially those of reddish or- 

 purple tints, and several that are white, will not 

 keep their colours if merely di-ied with cotton- wool.. 

 Here the use of acids is imperative. Of these the- 

 best is sulphurous acid. Its use was first intro- 

 duced into this country some years ago by 

 Mr. Claridge Druce, F.L.S., an Oxford chemist 

 (118 High Street), well known as the editor of the 

 Oxfordshire Flora, the Berkshire and the Bucks 

 Flora, now in preparation, and one of our leading- 

 field botanists. He received it from Dr. Schonland,. 

 and it had been previously used in the herbarium 

 of the Berlin Botanical Museum. The proportions- 

 of the mixture as prepared by Mr. Druce, are two- 

 parts of sulphui'ous acid, freshly prepared and of 

 ten per cent, strength, with one part of methylated 

 alcohol of aboiit sixty per cent, strength. The- 

 methylation should be preferably with wood spirit, 

 and not with mineral oil. The acid tends in course- 

 of time to become oxidised, and is then useless, so- 

 that it is best to get a small quantity every year. 

 The use of the acid is simple enough. The flower- 

 should be dipped in the mixture for a few seconds, 

 when the colour will rapidly disappear, leaving the- 

 flower white. It should then be carefully dried 

 with blotting-paper, care being taken to remove- 

 all the acid without bruising the petals. It may 

 then be pressed in the usual way. Cotton-wool 

 should be used for the leaves, which are, as a rule,. 

 unaffected by the acid, and should not be dipped 

 into it. When the acid is used, it is best to place- 

 cotton-wool only underneath the flowers, and above 

 them pieces of tissue or blotting paper, cotton- wool 

 frequently giving them a spotted appearance. The- 

 natural colour of the flowers begins to reappear very 

 soon after the acid has been removed, and returns 

 completely in the course of a day or so. It is 

 better to expose them for a few minutes to the air- 

 before pressing. The effect of the acid, besides 

 temporarilj' bleaching the flowers, is to preyentthe 

 growth of fungus, which otherwise destroys the- 

 colour. The tint, when it returns, is at least com- 

 paratively permanent. I have by me specimens of 



