OF THE FERNS AND FLOWERING PLANTS. 169 



There is one point on which it is very difficult to give 

 advice — I mean the ascertaining, with anything like ac- 

 curacy, the degree of dryness to which the specimens have 

 attained. Here each one must be left very much to his 

 own sagacity, because, after the superficial moisture has been 

 absorbed, and the plant has become more or less stiffened, 

 the mere passing the hand over it will seldom betray the 

 presence of damp. The best plan with which I am ac- 

 quainted, is to lay the specimen against the cheek ; if it 

 imparts a sensation of coldness, it may be inferred that 

 there is still a good deal of damp to be got rid of. At any 

 rate, it is always better to ' err on the safe side ' by leaving 

 the pile of plants longer under the press than their actual 

 condition may seem to warrant or to call for. 



I will lay before the reader another method of preparation, 

 which is recommended by many experienced botanists. It 

 consists in laying each specimen between a sheet of very 

 thin blotting-paper before placing it on the regular drying- 

 paper. The specimen is to be arranged in the usual 

 manner on the open sheet, the upper half of which is then 

 carefully folded over, and a packet of drying-paper laid on, 

 proceeding in the same way with each specimen. When it 

 is requisite to change the packets, the damp one is re- 

 moved, and the thin envelope to the plant is simply lifted up 

 (without opening it, or in any way disturbing its contents) 

 and laid upon a fresh packet of drying material. 



It is true that many good botanists are opposed to this 

 plan : they think that the moisture retained in the thin 

 sheet at each renewal is likely to cause permanent injury, 

 and that it is scarcely counterbalanced by the facility 

 which it gives of lifting the specimen without disturbance. 

 But in point of fact the blotting-paper retains a mere trifle 

 of moisture, which it quickly imparts to the new packet, 

 and, with ordinary care, very beautiful results may be 

 obtained. I am acquainted with a person who prepares 

 thousands of examples yearly for a society of naturalists ; 

 nothing can exceed the beauty or the durability of his pre- 



