XXX 
European Ferns. 
such, for instance, as the persistent growth of the Stonecrops in spite of the heaviest pressure, 
and the equally persistent shedding of their leaves if, as a last resource, boiling water is 
resorted to. Then there are plants with thick woody stems which are by no means elegant 
objects; and there are water plants which collapse when taken out of the water, and refuse 
to flatten themselves out again ; some plants dry very quickly, and rot if allowed to remain 
too long in the press, others seem as if they never intended to dry at all ; and so we might 
go on with a catalogue of grievances, all of which are more or less familiar to any one who 
has made a herbarium, especially if he has made up his mind that his herbarium should be 
not only useful, but also ornamental. 
With ferns many of these difficulties are entirely avoided. Not only their natural grace 
of form, but also their natural beauty of colour, is preserved, and that almost without an 
effort. It is no wonder, indeed, that the fronds are pressed into service for all kinds of 
ornamental work, of which the latest manifestation seems to be the invention of a series of 
Christmas and birthday cards, which are bordered or otherwise embellished with the pinnules 
of ferns. The fronds should be collected on a dry day ; some advocate drying them, as also 
other plants, in the field, but this method, although it has its advantages, always seemed to 
us open to criticism, for a very small amount of wind will effectually prevent any steady effort 
in this direction by the liberties which it takes with the drying-paper. But some ferns — 
notably the Lady Fern and the young stage of the Bracken, and indeed nearly all the species 
when young — will soon wither up if carried in the warm hand, so that it is best to take a 
tin box of some kind when going on a collecting expedition. It must be a long box, or 
the fronds will get bent, and once thus disfigured they will not soon recover their pristine 
elegance. When it is possible to exercise a choice in the matter, it is best to choose a dry 
bright day for collecting ; if the fronds are wet when gathered they will require much more 
drying ; and it should be remembered that, other things being equal, plants dried rapidly keep 
their colour better than others which are allowed to remain for any long time in the press. 
In the same way, it is best to take them straight from the collecting-box to the press, without 
first putting them in water- — except, of course, when this is necessary to enable them to regain 
their shape. Plants can be left for two or three days, or even longer, in the box without 
taking any harm, if the box itself be kept in a cool place away from the light. A kind of 
thick, rough, bibulous paper is prepared for drying purposes, and is much used, especially 
by amateurs, but any old paper will do as well, such as newspapers — an old music-book 
makes a capital press ; and newspapers do not require drying so often as the drying-paper, 
which absorbs the moisture so rapidly that care must be taken (when plants are many and 
the stock of paper is but small) to prevent its becoming so saturated as to damage the 
specimens and encourage the growth of mould. Newspapers, too, are not only less expensive, 
but also less cumbrous to carry about ; and though old ones are preferable, even a recent 
newspaper may, on an emergency, be pressed into the service with satisfactory results. A 
press of the size of the paper is often used, consisting of two thin boards, between which the 
paper is placed, the whole being bound together by a couple of leather straps, and then put 
under a heavy weight, care being taken that the pressure is equal and not too great. There 
is, perhaps, less danger of injuring ferns by over-pressure than is the case with flowering 
plants, on account of the firmness of their texture ; but it is only by experience that we can 
attain the “happy mean,” and adjust our weight so that it shall be sufficient to insure a 
thorough even pressure throughout, neither so heavy as to run any risk of destroying the 
character of the frond, nor so light as to allow it to lie otherwise than completely flat. 
