PRESERVING THE SPECIMENS 229 



made of cardboard, wood-board, wooden lattice work or wire frames, and 

 they should be carried in a strong pair of straps, similar to the ordinary 

 shawl-strap. The portfolio should contain a number of double sheets 

 of paper of about 11 x 17 inches. Nothing better can be obtained than 

 single pages of an ordinary New York daily newspaper once folded. 

 Within this fold the specimen, with tag attached, is to be laid, its leaves 

 and flowers as straight as can be, one or more of each turned with the 

 face, and others with the backs uppermost. While being carried in the 

 portfolio, they should be subjected to strong pressure to prevent 

 wrinkling, and none of the parts must be allowed to project beyond the 

 edges of the paper. 



Within twenty-four, and much better within six or eight hours of 

 the time of collection, the folds, with specimens contained, are to be 

 transferred to the dryers. At this time, each specimen should be gone 

 over, its leaves and flowers perfectly straightened out and arranged 

 in the position desired when dry. It is often desirable to introduce 

 several thicknesses of bibulous paper inside of the specimen sheets, so 

 as to make the entire thickness correspond with that of any excessively 

 thick portion of the specimen, such as a large root, fruit or tuber. 



The dryers are to consist of some thick bibulous paper. When little 

 collecting is to be done, blotting paper is desirable, but when collecting is 

 upon an extensive scale, this is far too expensive and perishable. Various 

 forms of dryers of excellent quality are for sale by the botanical supply 

 houses, but, in drying on a large scale, it has been found possible to 

 effect considerable saving by improvising them out of some suitable 

 material. The author has found the best method to be to obtain rolls 

 of thick, gray house-sheathing paper, 36 inches in length. This may 

 then be cut into 12-inch lengths, and folded to a size of 12 x 18 inches. 

 When the amount of the material drying is large, it is better cut in 

 24-inch lengths and folded to 24 x 18 inches. Dryers of this size will 

 then accommodate two specimen sheets lying side by side. There are 

 so many varieties and qualities of house-sheathing on the market, that 

 careful selection is necessary. For plant-dryers it should be free from 

 mineral and coloring matters, tar and sizing, and its quality should be 

 tested by its ability to take up moisture readily. As a general state- 

 ment, it may be said that that grade ordinarily denominated "poor'' by 

 builders should be sought. The number of dryers between two layers 

 of specimens should be determined by the amount of herbage possessed 

 by the latter, by the condition of the weather and climate, the facilities 

 for frequent changes of dryers and other similar conditions. In hot. 



