162 
OF THE FERNS AND FLOWERING PLANTS. 
room. Four or five sheets having been laid on one another, 
a thread is passed through them on the folded side, some 
two inches from the border ; and then the two ends of the 
thread are tied together so as to leave a loop sufficiently 
large to admit of a longish rod or stick being passed through 
it. In this way packet after packet of damp paper is 
loosely fastened on the stick, and the latter is suspended 
horizontally in any convenient place, where there is a 
current of air — between the rafters of an out-house — across 
two chairs near a large fire — or, weather permitting, in the 
open air, where it will catch the rays of the sun. A few 
rods fitted up after this plan will allow of an immense 
number of sheets being dried at the same time. From the 
loose papers having both their sides acted on by the 
draught, they give up their moisture more quickly than if 
laid on the ground, and are not liable to be blown about by 
gusts of wind. The business of sewing the paper together 
is considerably lightened, if the end of a ball of thread is 
drawn, by means of a packing needle, through a great 
number of sheets at once, the thread being afterwards 
divided in lengths sufficient to bind up the packets as 
previously described. This saves the time, which would 
otherwise be wasted if the thread were cut into the required 
lengths before being passed through the packets. 
As soon as the plants are freed from the moisture on 
their surface, and the paper has been distributed into con- 
venient parcels of five or six sheets, the process of drying 
may be proceeded with by making alternate layers of 
packets and specimens until a height of some two feet has 
been reached. Next let the whole pile be placed between 
two smooth boards of the same size as the paper, and 
weighted with bricks, as previously recommended. . Great 
attention must be paid to the degree of pressure laid on ; 
if it be too severe the specimens will be squeezed out of all 
shape, whereas, if too light, the leaves, petals, and other 
tender parts will be shrivelled and wrinkled. It is a point 
on which experience and common sense must be brought to 
