1893.] D. Prain — Methods of preparing Botanical Specimens. 157 



" a fire and dry with a brisk heat. No weights for pressing are neces- 

 " saiy. As a general rale, the sand at the commencement of drying 

 " should not be allowed to attain a greater heat than can be borne by 

 " the hand, and this should be lessened as drying proceeds or the flowers 

 " may become scorched and rendered useless for purposes of dissection. 



" Occasionally species (Dendrobium Pierardi Roxb., and JPhajus 

 " alba Lindl.) are met with whose perianths will adhere to the paper ; 

 "the removal of the perianth cannot then be effected without mutilation. 

 " This may be obviated by using porous drying-paper or blotting-paper 

 " instead of the thin kind recommended above. 



" The advantages of drying in hot sand as compared with the 

 " universally adopted method in paper are : — First, the rapidity in pre- 

 " paring specimens ; plants belonging to such genera as Saccolabium, 

 " Vanda, Cleisostoma, etc., being ready within a week against a period of 

 " three to four months by the old method. Secondly ; when finished the 

 " specimens will be found preserved in their entirety and will not fall 

 " to pieces. The column and lip will be found to have suffered little, 

 " as the pressure of the sand is not sufficient to cause any material dam- 

 " age to these organs". — R. Pantling. 



The boxes that Mr. Pantling has found handiest for his purpose 

 are old kerosine tins cut through lengthways ; one is placed within the 

 other to give more strength to the tin and a rivet or two hammered 

 through the seams as the solder runs when the boxes are over the fire. 

 The only thing to be guarded against in the process is the adhesion of 

 the flowers of certain species to the paper, and Mr. Pantling shows how 

 this is easily overcome. 



The possibilities of this method either as recommended by Mr. 

 Pantling or with slight modifications for the drying of succulent species 

 generally, such as the Cactus family and fleshy members of the Spurge 

 family, as well as for families like Scitaminese — the ginger family — and 

 for water plants, where the flowers are very delicate and therefore very 

 difficult to dry seem considerable and the plan is well worth trying for 

 them as well as for orchids. 



