Wild Flower Preservation Department 
Mrs. William Gary, winner of the Emily D. Renwick Achieve- 
ment Medal for the year 1920, and now a member of the National 
Committee for Wild Flower Preservation, has given us in detail 
the methods used by her in collecting and mounting her splendid 
Herbarium, for which the Garden Club of America gave 
her public and lasting recognition. 
How to Make an Herbarium 
The trials of all collections are legion, but she who makes an 
Herbarium must go through much for the pleasure of "messing 
in meads." 
Let us select a glorious May day and dress the marsh part; 
i. e., high boots, short skirts, shirt waists and wash gloves and 
small brimmed hats as protection lagainst sun and branches. With 
only a tin collecting case in which are wet newspapers and a jack 
knife, we start for the woods or swamp. When we arrive there 
is so much to pick that we are bewildered, and realize that an 
octopus using all its eight arms could not mount all the specimens 
our greedy eyes covet, so we literally pick and choose only what 
we can finish mounting that week. We select the flowers that are 
freshest, which will not be in bloom next week, avoiding poor 
leaves and hot picking more than four of one variety, always 
leaving enough for cross fertilization, so not all from the same 
clump. Ten varieties will be enough to take home, laying each 
in the damp newspaper inside the case. If the plant is very large, 
pick both leaves (if they differ) and stem leaves, and if there 
are many plants, cut out one root for mounting. We have now 
three or four of ten different species in the case, so must hurry 
home as fast as tired feet allow us and at once unpack and lay 
the treasures in water, taking care not to injure the corolla in 
water. 
Early the next morning we spread out blotters and after 
removing all water arrange each specimen on its blotters so it 
will look as natural as possible. To make a good composition one 
must often cut out leaves which are too close or lie under the 
plant, and branches which complicate the design, but not enough 
to take away the character of the plant. Strive for simplicity in 
arrangement, but try to fill spaces with slight bending of leaves 
and stem to make a good balance for the composition. Because 
a plant is dead is no reason why it should not be attractive. If 
we have picked well there is little of this pruning to do, but keep 
in mind when picking that the cardboard mount is 11 by 16 inches 
so a good small specimen in proportion to yoiu* mount is far more 
attractive than the largest one you can find. Now we cover the 
plant held carefully in its place, with another blotter the same 
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