6 Cornell Junior Extension Bulletin 26 



fifteen native forest trees. We hope you will want to know all the for- 

 est trees of your section, but as a tangible evidence of your year's work a 

 collection of only fifteen is required. Such collections may be used for 

 exhibit material at school and county fairs and at the state fair. 



Collecting' the specimens for mounting 



1. Twigs. The twigs may be collected in the fall any time after 

 the leaves drop. Using a sharp knife, cut a section from the end of the 

 twig about 5 inches long, taking the twig from a side branch, never from 

 the top shoot. Do not take the twig from a stump sprout or a very vig- 

 orous-growing young sapling as it will not be average ; on the other 

 hand, do not collect from a small lower branch that is dying due to lack 

 of light. Cut the end of the twig slanting so as to show a section of the 

 pith. This is particularly important in the case of walnuts. If collecting 

 a number of twigs in any one day, each should be tagged so as to avoid 

 mistakes later on. 



2. Leaves. Since this project starts in the fall, there will be many 

 deciduous-leaved trees whose leaves cannot be collected until the follow- 

 ing spring, but by the end of May most leaves will be out in an average 

 season. Here again avoid taking specimens from little seedlings or 

 sprout growth. Have a good-sized notebook along when making a leaf 

 collection so that the leaves can be placed out flat and carried home in 

 that condition. In the case of compound leaves, such as locust or ash or 

 walnut, remember that the whole leaf must be shown, not just a leaflet. 

 Many leaves, such as walnut, are longer than the SV^-by-H^-inch 

 standard paper used for the collection, but usuaily a typical, yet some- 

 what smaller-sized leaf can be found. 



3. Fruit. It will be important to begin looking in the autumn for 

 the fruit of some of the trees. If you wait until June of the following 

 year, the collection will be incomplete. 



Preparing the specimens for mounting 



1. Twigs. Twigs after collecting should be stored in a cool, dry 

 place where they will dry out gradually. The name of the tree written 

 on a piece of paper and the twig stuck through the paper will keep the 

 twigs separate. 



2. Leaves. Leaves for mounting must be carefully dried and 

 pressed as soon as brought from the woods. For this, use a press such 

 as is provided for preparing flower specimens at school. A simple press 

 can be made by placing newspapers on a flat surface and placing a 

 weighted board on the papers. 



