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//. Museum Department. 



Among the objects which should be collected for Museum 

 purposes are : — 



1. Fruits and Seeds, especially those which are of large size, or 

 possess any peculiarity of form or structure entitling them to 

 notice. Many of these are naturally dry and require little care 

 (except to be freed from moisture) previous to packing. Those 

 that, when ripe, burst open into valves, or separate by their scales, 

 as Pine-cones, &c, should be bound round with pack-thread. The 

 soft and fleshy fruits can only be preserved in wide-mouthed 

 bottles, or jars, or casks (according to size) in alcohol, as rum, 

 arrack, or in diluted pyroligneous acid or strong brine. Formalin 

 is also a very convenient medium, a 5 per cent, solution or 20 

 parts water to 1 of Formalin, being generally sufficient. 



2. Entire Plants, or parts of them. Many have a very fleshy 

 character and ought to be preserved entire in alcohol ; or 

 portions of the stems and branches (according to their size) with 

 flowers and fruit ; such as those of Palms, Stapelia, Rafflesia, and 

 others of a similar kind. 



3. Trunks of Trees, portions and sections of them, especially 

 when they exhibit any remarkable structure : as Palms, and many 

 other Monocotyledonous plants, and Tree Ferns. Specimens of 

 wood should be in sections, a foot or more long, and about the 

 average diameter of the tree. The kinds used in commerce for 

 veneering, cabinet-work, or other useful purposes, or such as 

 recommend themselves by their beauty, hardness, or any other 

 valuable quality, are particularly desired. The scientific or other 

 names, if known, should be attached, and specimens of the leaves 

 and flowers should be sent so as to admit of their identification. 



4. Gums, Resins, and Vegetable Waxes, especially those em- 

 ployed in the Arts or in Domestic Economy. 



5. Dye Stuffs of various kinds. 



6. Medicinal Substances. These are of vast importance, and merit 

 the attention of travellers in every country. With regard to many 

 it is not yet known, except by the natives who collect and prepare 

 them, what are the particular plants that afford them, nor how 

 they are prepared. 



7. General Products of Vegetables ; in the state of the raw 

 material, and manufactured. It would be extremely difficult, not 

 to say impossible, to enumerate all of these which a Museum 

 ought to contain ; but the enlightened traveller can form a pretty 

 correct judgment. Such as are useful to mankind cannot fail to 

 be interesting. It would be idle to send every well-known object 

 of this kind, tea, sugar, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, pepper, textiles, 

 plaiting, basket-work, clothing, &c. ; but there are states even of 

 these familiar articles which may j)rove both useful and instructive. 



In case of samples of timber, of various fibres, dye-stuffs, drugs, or 

 any other vegetable product, it is of the first importance that there 

 should be sent along with each example a dried specimen of the 

 leaves and flowers of the tree or plant affording the same, marked 

 distinctly with a corresponding number, so that the source of the 

 product may be scientifically determined. Through want of such 



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