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The following details as to methods of collecting are therefore 

 included : — 



Collection of Specimens. 



I. Horticultural Department. 



Plants for cultivation may be introduced : (1). As Seeds, Bulbs, 

 Tubers, or Rhizomes, all of which are easily collected and trans- 

 mitted. Seeds should be collected when quite ripe, and each kind 

 packed separately in paper or other material so as to insure their 

 not becoming mixed with others. Small seeds of a dry nature 

 containing little or no oil may be packed in small paper or canvas 

 bags, and sent by parcel post. This is by far the best means of 

 sending home small quantities of seeds, &c, on account of their 

 early despatch and delivery. Oily seeds, such as those of most of 

 the Magnoliaceae, many of the Palms and Leguminosae, and also 

 of Para Rubber, quickly lose their power of germination. These 

 are best transmitted in tin or other close-fitting boxes, packed in 

 moist but not wet soil. Bulbs, Tubers, and Rhizomes, should be 

 dug up when the foliage has withered at the end of the growing 

 season, and packed in a dry state in a wooden box in such a 

 manner that they cannot move about, as they are very liable to 

 damage if bruised during transit. 



(2). Cuttings.— Ripened growth of many succulent plants such 

 as Cacti, Euphorbias, Senecios, Stapelias, &c, may be safely 

 collected and sent home in this way. The cuttings should be 

 taken off where there is a constriction or articulation of the stem, 

 and laid out in the sun for a short time to free them from 

 extraneous moisture, and should then be tightly packed in a stout 

 box in dry paper or some other elastic substance to keep them from 

 bruising one another. Wood shavings, if carefully dried, are an 

 excellent material for this purpose. 



(3). Rooted Plants.— Many succulent plants, such as Cacti, 

 Aloes, Agaves, Bromeliads, and Cycads, also many Orchids, will 

 safely undergo a long journey if prepared and packed in the 

 way advised for cuttings. Many plants, however, cannot be 

 treated in this way, such as those of slender growth and evergreen 

 habit which are not capable of retaining sufficient moisture in 

 their stems or roots to enable them to withstand a long journey. 

 On account of the great difficulty experienced in transmitting this 

 class of plants, they should be packed in a small portable green- 

 house, known as a Wardian case. The bottom of the case should 

 be covered with 4 in. to 6 in. of soil, and the young plants planted 

 in it in rows and watered carefully until established. When 

 ready for despatch the surface of the soil should be tightly fastened 

 down by strips of wood carefully nailed in position. The object 

 of this is to prevent the soil and plants from being displaced should 

 the case be overturned. It is important that this operation should 

 be done carefully, otherwise the plants may shake loose and suffer 

 much damage during transit. The glazed lid should then be 

 fastened on with screws and putty, and the address carefully 

 written or stamped on the end, adding also the words " On DECK 

 UNDER AWNING." The plants should require no water or attention 

 unless the glass be broken during the voyage. 



