9 



After washing, the roots should be carefully dried. This can best 

 be accomplished by exposing them to light and air (not direct sunlight) 

 on racks or shelves, or on clean, well-ventilated barn floors or lofts. 

 They should be spread out thinly and turned occasionally from day to 

 day until completely cured. When this point is reached, in perhaps 

 three to six weeks, the roots will snap readily when bent. During the 

 curing process the roots, if dried out of doors, should be placed under 

 shelter at night and upon the approach of rainy weather. 



With some roots additional preparation is required, such as slicing 

 and the removal of fibrous rootlets. Wherever this is necessary men- 

 tion will be made of it under the descriptions of the different plants. 

 In general, it may be said that large roots should always be split or 

 sliced when green in order to facilitate drying. 



BARKS. 



The plants considered in this bulletin do not furnish medicinal barks, 

 but inasmuch as there are certain sections of the country where trees 

 furnishing such barks are rather abundant, directions for their collec- 

 tion may not bo out of place here. 



Barks of trees should be gathered in spring, when the sap begins to 

 flow, but may also bo peeled in winter. In the case of the coarser 

 barks (as elm. hemlock, poplar, oak, pine, and wild cherry) the outer 

 layer is shaved off before the bark is removed from the tree, which 

 proce-> is known as "rossing." Only the inner bark of these trees is 

 used medicinally. Barks may also be cured by exposure to sunlight. 

 Moisture must in- avoided. 



LEAVES AND HERBS. 



Leaves and herbs should be collected when the plants are in full 

 flower. It is very desirable that they retain their bright green color 

 after curing, and this can be done by careful drying in the shade. In 

 the collection of leaves the whole plant may be cut and the leaves may 

 be stripped from it. rejecting the stems as much as possible. In the 

 case of herb- the coar-o and large stems should be rejected and only 

 the flowering tops and more tender stems and leaves included. All 

 grasses, bits of other plants, and other foreign substances should be 

 caret idly removed, as well as dead, shriveled, diseased, and discolored 

 specimens. 



Both leaves and herbs -hould be spread out in thin layers on clean 

 floors, racks or shelves, in the shade but where there is free circula- 

 tion of air. and turned frequentl} T until thoroughly dry. Moisture 

 will darken them. The same precautions that are necessarj^ in cur- 

 ing root- apply here also, so far as placing them under cover to avoid 

 dew oi- rain is concerned. 



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