NATURAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



143 



It often happens that upon spec- 

 imens brought in from the field 

 there is an unnecessary amount of 

 the gangue adhering, or part of a 

 crystal or crystals may be covered 

 up the matrix. This can readily 

 be removed and the size of the 

 specimen reduced by means of a 

 few small chisels and cleaning 

 tools and a trimming hammer. 

 The trimming hammer should 

 weigh from a quarter to half a 

 pound, and have both faces square. 

 By holding the specimen firmly in 

 the left hand and delivering a 

 sharp blow with the hammer the 

 gangue rock may be removed with- 

 out injury to the mineral. A pitch- 

 ing tool is used in shaping the 

 specimen after trimming. The 

 other tools needed are three steel 

 chisels, one six inches long, the 

 others three inches long and of 

 simifar pattern, for cutting purpos- 

 es; a set of steel wedges for split- 

 ting rocks, and a pickaxe to re- 

 move surface material and for pry- 

 ing- 



In many cases it is necessary to 

 blast. Blasting powder, drills, 

 sledge hammers, fuses, etc., may 

 sometimes be carried, but they can 

 commonly be borrowed from min- 

 ers or quarrymen, who can also 

 be hired to assist in the work. 

 Avoid heavy charges of powder, in 

 order that the material sought for 

 may not be excessively shattered. 

 The operation of blasting, regard- 

 ed from the standpoint of the min- 

 eral collector, requires the great- 

 est care and judgment. A fine 

 locality may be ruined by the reck- 

 less use of dynamite. 



METHOD OF LABELING. 



In collecting minerals, the la- 

 bels should be written at once, and 

 wrapped with the specimens. The 

 locality should be stated precisely; 

 for example, "garnet in rhyolite, 

 North Slope, Table Mountain, 

 Gunnison County, Colorado," and 

 not "garnet, Colorado," Uniden- 

 tified minerals should be marked 

 with full information as to mode 

 of occurence, in order that they 

 may be properly studied later. 



It is always wise to preserve a 

 record of the materials in some 

 form of field notebook. 



PACKING FOR SHIPMENT. 



For the transportation of the 

 material to a place where it can be 

 properly culled and packed a leath- 

 er bag is convenient. This should 

 be made twelve inches wide, 

 twelve inches deep, and four inches 

 through of stout leather. It should 

 have a flap over the top and ex- 

 tending fully six inches down the 



opposite side, and have a strap 

 and buckle to fasten it in position. 



The carrying strap should be of 

 strong leather, two inches wide, 

 and long enough to go over the 

 shoulder. This should be provid- 

 ed with a buckle so that its length 

 may be adjusted to the wearer. 



This style of bag is of course 

 not a necessity, and any sort of a 

 receptacle may be substituted for 

 it, but some means for the conven- 

 ient transportation of specimens in 

 the field must be provided. 



A supply of paper, preferably of 

 newspaper, is also indispensible 

 for wrapping specimens. Never 

 attempt to carry a specimen un- 

 wrapped in the bag. The mate- 

 rial collected must not be permit- 

 ted to chafe or rub. 



In packing specimens for trans- 

 portation, each individual is to be 

 wrapped first in tissue paper, then 

 in raw cotton, and finally in news- 

 paper. The applies only to crys- 

 talized and delicate specimens. 

 For massive material newspaper 

 alone is sufficient. With very del- 

 icate material such as cuprite, na- 

 trolite, etc., the specimens are to 

 be wrapped in tissue paper, then 

 in cotton, and farther protected by 

 being boxed separately. In some 

 cases it is advisable to set the spe- 

 imens in a suitable box and pour 

 plaster of paris around its base, 

 allowing the latter to set, thus in- 

 suring solidity. This, however, is 

 a matter that must be left entirely 

 to the judgment of the packer, 

 since no one method is applicable 

 to all cases. 



The material is best packed in 

 comparatively small boxes. Large 

 boxes are ioo heavy for proper 

 handling. A layer of excelsior, 

 straw or other packing material, 

 about an inch deep, is put on the 

 bottom; then the heaviest and 

 most massive material is packed 

 firmly and closely. Spaces be- 

 tween the specimens should be 

 filled with excelsior; then add an- 

 other la}'er of excelsior, a la3'er of 

 specimens, and so on until the box 

 is filled, and finally a layer of ex- 

 celsior is put on the top and the 

 cover fitted tightly. The box 

 must be absolutely full before fas- 

 tening. Excelsior is the best pack- 

 ing material, but straw, hay, grass, 

 Spanish moss, or coarse shavings 

 will serve the purpose. Sawdust 

 should never be used. Coarse, mas- 

 sive material, collected in bulk to 

 be broken up and trimmed later, 

 may be transported in boxes or 

 barrels without wrapping or other 

 special precautions.- — By Wert 

 Tassin, Assistant Curator of the De- 



partment of minerals of the Smithso- 

 nian Institution, in the Mineral Col- 

 lector. 



Tray Making. 



A neat cabinet is indispensible 

 if the owner wishes his specimens 

 to show up well. No matter if the 

 case is of fine hard wood, scroll 

 work and handsome glass front, 

 the contents do not look well un- 

 less arranged with system and 

 neatness. To have this system 

 and neatness, good trays are essen- 

 tial. If the trays are single they 

 will not fit close together and be- 

 sides form a double partition be- 

 tween each specimen, and if we 

 wish to empty a shelf or drawer at 

 any time, it necessitates consider- 

 able time to remove the specimens, 

 single tray at a time. These ob- 

 jections are overcome by trays in 

 the flat. They are good looking, 

 cost almost nothing, and are easily 

 made. 



The materials necessary are a 

 number of paper shoe boxes, a 

 spool of strong thread and a quan- 

 tity of liquid glue, mucilage, or 

 smooth flour paste. 



The lids of the boxes and the 

 bottoms cut down equal to the lids 

 are to be used as the bodies for the 

 trays. 



Cut strips of the boxes as long 

 as the lids are wide and as broad 

 as they, are deep. These strips 

 are to form the partitions. After 

 they are arranged at the proper 

 distance apart, wrap several wrap- 

 pings of the thread around the box 

 directly over and parallel to the 

 partitions. Draw the threads tight 

 enough to hold the partitions firm, 

 then neatly tie the ends together. 



Now cut strips of plain white 

 paper, and carefully glue it over 

 the threads to the cross pieces. 

 Now place in the cross partitions 

 and treat them in the same way. 

 Of course the threads in this case 

 run at right angles to the first ones. 



If instead of covering them with 

 white paper, different colors are 

 used the contents may be made to 

 show out well by contrast of colors. 



Plain white specimens show best 

 in black, red or blue, while white 

 ones set oli to best advantage, 

 deeply colored specimens. 



If cotton is used about speci- 

 mens as in the case of birds eggs, 

 it should be of the same color as 

 the trays. 



Otto Grady, 

 Ludlow, Ky. 



