176 
ANNALS OF THE 
him what he could spare. Schultz would make him ample returns for what he gets, so that your members would 
not be the losers by this exchange. Anything sent to me shall be forwarded to him. 
I had another article in the Bonplandia about your Society, using your reports (kindly sent to me), to show 
the usefulness of admitting ladies in popular societies, and at the same time giving a hst of the papers you have 
pubhshed in the two first parts of your (I should say our) Transactions. 
The Bonplandia will be illustrated with colored plates, drawn by Fitch and printed in England. This to com- 
mence on the 15th of December, 1861. None save really new genera and species will be coloured. 
With best wishes for the success of your Society, 
Yours very truly, 
BERTHOLD SEEMANN. 
REMARKS ON THE PREPARATION OF SKELETON FLOWERS. 
By Prof. John R. Dickson, M. D. 
The parts intended for preparation should be macerated in rain-water until 
such time as the succulent portions are thoroughly decomposed. Summer is the 
best season for this process, and if the vessel in which it is conducted be exposed 
to the sun's rays, decomposition will more readily take place. 
There should not only be sufficient water to cover the contents of the macera- 
ting vessel, but also an additional quantity added to make allowance for what will 
be lost by evaporation, so that no portion of the plant may become exposed to the 
air, and thus desiccated, as its form and color would thereby be destroyed. 
At the end of a fortnight or three weeks, the plant may be taken out of the 
water and placed on some soft fabric such as flannel, and an attempt made to re- 
move the succulent parts by gentle friction with a camel's hair brush. If the fib- 
rous part is not readily denuded thus, the plant must be replaced in the water, and 
allowed to remain some time longer, but occasionally may be subjected to the pro- 
cess above indicated. 
As soon as it is found that the succulent parts can be readily removed, the 
maceration has been continued long enough; the preparation should be removed 
from the water, and the ligneous portion thoroughly but carefully cleansed and 
freed from all other tissues with the camel's hair brush. 
If it is now found that the preparation is not sufficiently white, it may be bleach* 
ed by immersing it for a few days in cold water, holding chloride of lime in solu- 
tion, and may afterwards be exposed to the sun, or allowed to dry in a warm room. 
If there is any difficulty in maintaining the natural shape of plant, the stem 
may be strengthened by passing fine wire for some distance through its centre, 
which will enable it to sustain the weight. 
This process is adapted to the various parts of plants having a fibrous-tissue 
framework, such as stems, leaves, fruit and flowers, and also to grasses. 
