place. It is surprising liow much pressure insects will stand. 
I have found worms in Gentians two months after mounting and 
Sedum shooting a month after pressing, which shows how difficult 
it is to extinguish life, so inspect your Herbarium often. 
We now classify them in families, putting the specimens in 
heavy paper folders, carefully labeled. 
These are but hints, but if anyone wishes more details I 
will gladly reply to any questions, hoping that all efforts will 
be rewarded by an Herbarium which truly can be made a 
thing of beauty and a joy forever. 
(Mrs. William) Katharine T. Gary 
New Canaan Garden Club. 
Cultivating Wild Flowers 
Dr. Edgar T. Wherry 
Bureau of Ghemistry, Washington, D. C. 
One of the best methods of preserving our wild flowers is 
to bring them into cultivation. To make this possible, how- 
ever, it is necessary to study carefully the conditions under 
w^hich they grow in nature, and to imitate those conditions as 
closely as possible in the garden. The matter of climate should 
be considered and no attempts made to bring plants from one 
sort of climate into an entirely different one. The amount of 
light a plant receives can be readily estimated and matched in 
the garden by setting out the plants in appropriate positions 
with respect to trees, shrubs or buildings. The wetness or 
dryness of a habitat is also fairly obvious and not difficult to 
match. The factor that needs most attention, however, is the 
chemical character of the soil, and especially the acidity or 
sourness. 
Our more vigorous wild-flowers are relatively indifferent to 
such factors, and will grow in almost any soil ; and they do not 
require much protection. The delicate ones most likely to be 
exterminated by careless picking are, however, extremely 
sensitive to soil conditions. Some grow best in soils which are 
acid, some in soils which are alkaline (the opposite of acid), 
and still others in neutral soils (neither acid nor alkaline). 
Before such plants can be successfully grown in cultivation it 
is necessary to ascertain their soil preferences, and to adjust 
the acidity of the garden accordingly. An approved way of Testing 
testing the acidity of the soil in which a given plant grows is to Soil 
shake a small amount of soil from the plant roots into a vial, stir Acidity' 
it up with a little pure water, allow to settle, and test the liquid 
with appropriate indicators (dyes which change their colors with 
different degrees of acidity or alkalinity). Sets of Indicators for 
this purpose are for sale b.y dealers in chemical apparatus. 
55 
