194 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [AuausT, 1916. 
most of the character of O. superbiens, and the spikes have the long 
trailing character of the two parents, so that they have to be trained round 
sticks when the plants are required for exhibition purposes, otherwise they 
may be trained along a wire in the house. The plants have now attained 
their full development, and some very handsome specimens have been 
exhibited at recent meetings by Messrs. McBean, to whom we are indebted 
for the loan of the block used to illustrate this article. It is a vigorous and 
free-flowering hybrid, and Messrs. McBean must be congratulated on 
raising such a handsome acquisition. 
Bs Is 
é B29 
N several occasions correspondents have requested particulars of the 
best method of drying Orchids and arranging them for future 
reference, and a recent inquiry as to the organisation of a Herbarium 
suggests that a few remarks on the subject would be useful. Many people 
like to preserve mementos of their interesting plants, and this often takes 
the form of paintings, but not every Orchid grower has the necessary time 
or ability, and the employment of a professional artist entails expense. 
Again, there are details that cannot be shown in a painting, and yet are 
permanently preserved in a well dried flower, so that a combination of 
the two methods forms the ideal system. A method of drying flowers so as 
to preserve their original character is, from the nature of the case, 
unattainable, for both shape and colour are generally altered during the 
process. The method of drying flowers in sand, to preserve the natural 
shape, does not prevent shrinkage, while greatly increasing the difficulty of 
subsequent storage, and there is nothing equal to the old system of drying 
in porous paper and preserving the specimens flat, like drawings. 
A Herbarium is a collection of samples, and its extent and arrangement 
depends upon the taste of the collector and the objects he has in view. In 
the case of a complete Herbarium, like the great national establishment at 
Kew, the ultimate object is the preservation of a collection of specimens to 
illustrate the various forms of plant life and their distribution over the earth’s 
surface, but any more restricted range may be attempted, such as the flora of 
some particular district, or the collection of one particular group, such as 
Orchids, with which alone we are concerned. The essential details are 
identical in each case, and consist in drying, arranging, and mounting the 
specimens, and finally of protecting them against the attacks of mould and 
insects. 
DryinG consists in placing the materials selected on a sheet of absorbent 
paper, arranging them to show the details desired as far as possible, and 
HERBARIA AND THEIR USES. 
