NOTES FOR THE BEGINNER. 



III. — Collecting and Preserving. 



IIE object of an herbarium is to preserve our plants in proper 



shape for study until we may need them. It follows, then, 

 that in collecting specimens we should get everything that 

 will aid us in such study. Of primary value is the fruiting frond, 

 but it is not well to content ourselves with this alone. When the 

 plants are small the whole plant may be taken, especially if there 

 is a difference between fertile and sterile fronds, but for large 

 ferns, single fronds will do, and these may be bent or doubled to 

 allow them to fit the dimensions of the herbarium sheet. Sections 

 of rootstocks, young fronds and all variations from the normal 

 should be collected, as they often throw much light on the species. 



Get the plants from the field to your home as quickly as pos- 

 sible and by any method you prefer— between the leaves of a 

 book, in a tin box of proper size, or even by carrying in the hand 

 if it can be done before they wilt. At home, procure driers of 

 blotting paper or other bibulous stuff — about 12 by 18 inches is a 

 convenient size — and place the ferns between them with date and 

 place of collection marked. Upon the top of this pile of ferns 

 and driers, place a weight heavy enough to prevent the plants 

 from shriveling while drying. To make the best specimens, fresh 

 driers should be substituted for those in use at the end of the first 

 twenty four hours, and the ones in use dried ; but the writer has 

 seen good specimens that were simply placed between newspapers 

 without further attention until dry — say at the end of two weeks. 



When dry the plants are mounted on heavy ledger paper or 

 light cardboard, which must be of the standard size, \\% by 16^ 

 inches. This is the only must in herbarium-making, but it cannot 

 be disregarded. Mounted on sheets of the standard size, plants 

 will always be worth preserving; on other sizes and their value is 

 lessened to all but the collector. One can always sell or exchange 

 properly mounted specimens ; it is often difficult to give the others 

 away. 



For fastening the plants to the sheets, liquid glue is recom- 

 mended. It should be spread thinly on a smooth surface, the 

 plants dipped into it and laid on the mounting sheet in the posi- 

 tions in which they are to remain. Place the mounted specimens 

 between driers and under a weight until the glue has dried. The 

 label should always be pasted on the lower right hand corner of 



