THE PREPARATION OP A COLLECTION 37 



a very convenient size. Another regular size is 22 by 32 

 inches, cutting well into pieces 11 by 16. Specimens 15 

 to 18 inches long can be mounted on these. 



Some kinds of Evergreens, the Spruces especially, tend 

 to shed their leaves after pressing. Such kinds can in 

 most cases be made to form good specimens without 

 pressing. Fasten the fresh specimens on pillars of plas- 

 ter in boxes or frames 2 to 3 inches deep, so that they touch 

 nothing but the column of plaster. Mix calcined plaster 

 in water (as plasterers do), and build up a column high 

 enough to support the branch. Place the specimen on the 

 top of the pillar already formed, and pour over the whole 

 some quite thin plaster till a rounded top is formed com- 

 pletely fastening the specimen. If the leaves are not 

 touched at all, after they are dry, they will hang on for a 

 long time, making specimens that will show the tree char- 

 acteristics better than pressed specimens possibly could. 



