THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 93 
The young botanizer, long before he has reached the 
stage where anything more than a guide to the names of the 
flowers is necessary, usually wants to make a collection. 
The best book on this subject is probably Qute's "Making 
of an Herbarium" (25c). Baile>''s "Botanizing" (75c) is 
somewhat larger and equally desirable. Both these books 
give information about driers, presses, etc., but it may be 
added here that the cheapest and most useful plant-press is 
made from two sheets of stout binder's-board, to be ob- 
tained at the nearest book-binder\% held together by two 
straps. The best driers may be cut from deadening felt 
such as builders use and which may be obtained at most 
hardware or wholesale paper houses. The ordinary trowel, 
sold for 5 or 10 cents is not good enough for most work. 
A Cleves' angle trowel, costing from 25 to 40 cents, accord- 
ing to size, is the best to be had an>nvhere. For collecting 
livmg plants to study while fresh, one needs a vasculum of 
tm. Any tin box that will keep the plants moist, but not 
wet, will answer. A regular vasculum may be bought for 
75 cents and upward, or the nearest tinsmith can make one 
to order from a description or a picture. It is a mistake 
for the field botanist to load himself down with parapher- 
nalia. His favorite handbook or manual should always go 
with him to the field, however. It is astonishing to see how 
much easier plants are identified in the field than they are 
when examined at home. A good lens is also an absolute 
necessity to the plant student. The cheapest may be pur- 
chased for 15 to 25 cents, and the most expensive costs $5 
or more. After tr}-ing a large number of varying excel- 
lence we have come to favor the lenses sold by Williams, 
Brown & Earle, at $1.25 and advertised in this journal. 
The Coddington lenses, heretofore the cheapest acromatic 
lenses, cost from $1.50 upward, and are more bulky, with- 
out an increase in the magnifying powder. 
