104 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



also much more liable to injury should the weight applied to them happen 

 to be in any way excessive. It is also remarkable, that while the young and 

 tender fronds of some Adiantums, such as A. macrophyllum, . A. rhodophyllum, 

 A. rubellum, A. tetraphyllum gracile, A. tinctum, &c, which are endowed 

 with the most delicate colours, retain their beauty in a dry state for years 

 without any trouble, others belonging to the same genus are a source of constant 

 anxiety to the operator, and require, besides careful manipulation, an endless 

 amount of attention to retain a comparatively small portion of colour. In 

 the latter cases, which, however, are fortunately the exception, and not the rule, 

 it is only by repeated efforts and through good fortune that one is able to 

 obtain perfect specimens. 



In drying Fern fronds with a view to referring to them in the future, 

 no trouble should be spared to insure the preservation of their colours. 

 As such collections are, as a rule, made by persons who can gather their 

 specimens at the proper time, the collectors can afford to wait until the fronds 

 are in the best possible condition for cutting and pressing ; and by so doing, 

 and using a little discretion in the matter of selection, they may ensure the 

 retention of the colours when dry. 



Drying fronds for purely botanical purposes is an operation totally 

 different from that of drying a collection for the sake of retaining the beauty 

 and interest of the subjects, as specimens collected and preserved for com- 

 parison must possess all the characters which are essential to distinguish one 

 from the other. It is therefore indispensable that, large or small, they 

 should be of full size, on which account they frequently require to be doubled 

 up in the herbarium, without the least regard to specially tasteful arrangement ; 

 and provided that the spores are present, it matters little if the frond which 

 bears them has remained green, or if it has turned brown, or even black, as 

 colour, in the eye of a botanist, is of little value. Totally different, however, 

 is the work of the amateur collector who, in his leisure hours, treasures up 

 the most beautiful forms, and in most cases limits his work exclusively to 

 them, judiciously leaving out specimens possessed only of botanical interest. 



As in other matters of greater or of less importance, there are certain 

 rules which, to ensure perfect success in drying Fern fronds, must be strictly 

 adhered to. These have been gradually worked out by specialists who, 

 through long and careful observations, have succeeded in improving upon 



