102 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
be found, in the case of most flowers, that 
if they are brought home in a biscuit tin, 
and the roots perhaps placed in water to 
freshen them up if necessary before press- 
ing, that they will appear as good as need 
b^ It will nevertheless be found very con- 
venient to carry a small pocket-book with 
some porous-paper leaves, in which to pre- 
serve at once some blossoms which will re- 
quire it. For instance, it will be found im- 
possible to bring home an entire dandelion 
or bindweed without the blossom closing 
up; and the corolla of the Germander 
Speedwell, the bright little blue flower- 
often called bird's-eye or cat's-eye, that 
looks so pretty and lasts so long in the 
summer hedgerows, will almost certainly be 
knocked ofi" before the plant can be pressed 
at home. In such cases these parts must 
be put under pressure separately from the 
rest of the plant, and at once. Indeed, 
such a sleepy plant as the tragopogon, or 
John-go-to-bed-at-noon, almost requires to 
be caught with guile. Go in the morning 
when it is open and press the blossom in 
the porous paper-book before detaching it 
from the stalk. Some entire plants, from 
their delicate and brittle nature, had better 
be pressed on the spot; as, for instance, 
the pale green moschatel, the stalks of 
which are almost sure to snap with the 
slightest rough usage. Of course, when 
the roots have to be cleared from much 
earth, especially if the earth is of a clayey 
nature, it is absolutely necessary to bring 
the plant home before doing anything with 
it. On the whole, the tin box will be found 
preferable to the portfolio, and the occa- 
sions on which the latter must be used will 
soon be learnt by experience. Better than 
either, because more convenient, is the 
regulation vasculum, of japanned tin. 
For digging up the plants, since in most 
cases the roots must be preserved, a trowel 
is generally recommended. After a few of 
these have been broken by rough usage in 
stiff soils, or spoilt by friends who have 
borrowed them "just for once," they will 
probably be replaced by a amall three 
pronged fork, about the same size as the 
trowel, but much more durable. Even 
this, however, has its disadvantage, which 
will be found out on trial. In selecting the 
specimens for preservation, a little discrim- 
ination should be exercised. It is best, 
perhaps, to take two plants of the same 
kind and dry both, and afterwards choose 
the best of the two for mounting. It is not 
advisable to take more, unless they are 
somewhat inaccessible, or unless, for other 
reasons, it should be difficult afterwards to 
obtain more if required, as a large num- 
ber only fills up the box, takes up a great 
deal of room in the press, and gives much 
unnecessary trouble in many ways. Choose, 
therefore, two plants which are fairly de- 
veloped, and which show if possible, speci- 
mens of all the kinds of leaves the plant 
may possess, which have some blossoms 
fully open and others in bud, and, in short, 
which are in all respects good specimens of 
their kind. In some cases the leaves are 
not up when the flower is open, as with the 
yellow coltsfoot, which flowers in the early 
spring, but whose leaves are not to be 
found until much later. It is a mistake to 
choose too large a plant, under the impres- 
sion that it will look well; a medium should. | 
be aimed at in this matter, as in everything 
else. Perhaps it is not unnecessary to say 
that rare plants ought not to be exterm- 
inated. Persons who go about hunting for 
rarities, and who take all they can lay their 
hands on, are collectors only, not botanists. 
Many of our uncommon ferns are daily be- 
coming rarer, and harder to be found by 
those who really want to study them, be- 
cause they are so diligently sought after, 
and dug up by collectors who only want ^ 
them to sell. My advice is, if you find a 
rarity, take of it in moderation, and then, 
in the interests of science, keep your own 
counsel as to its whereabouts. 
In removing a plant, care must be taken 
not to spoil the root, nor to injure the 
leaves that spring from near the ground. 
It is often of great importance that these 
latter should be kept intact, as they fre- 
quently differ from the leaves which grow 
higher up the stem, and are very useful in 
