13 Brown Street 
Providence, It.I. 
June 27, 1928 
Dear Femald:- 
The package of Gxytropis specimens reached me yesterday- 
morning in good condition, except the rattling off of a few leaflets in 
transit. 
Yesterday afternoon 1 made the negatives and this afternoon the prints 
Am inclosing a set of the latter, wondering if they are good enough for 
your purpose. 1 have not done any trimming of the prints as 1 was some¬ 
what -uncertain in some instances as to just how much and where you would 
want the cuts made. It is a simple matter to trim them when you look 
them over-on the cutter in Miss Anderson's room. 
1 will have to admit that you have put me up against a rather tough 
proposition so far as obtaining contrast in the specimens is concerned. 
The pale yellow-browns, seal-browns, greens, and purples, all want to 
come out about one shade of black (?). The stains in old yellowed 
paper are always emphasized in a photograph. The most pronounce example 
of tfchis is seen in the paper stains in the print of Q. Uralensis, which 
are rather faint, but of just the right shade to photograph half as 
deeply (almost) as the plant itself. Even the wrinkles in thft paper 
are in some cases quite prominent as a result of the side light that 
has tc be used for illumination. 1 used two side lights on these 
plants and this has resulted in a double shadow of parts which were not 
attached closely to the mounting paper (e.g., the styles in gasp ensis) 
but there is no way that 1 know of to overcome this. Of course^ if they 
were not mounted the remedy wpul^ be simple. In the lower part of the 
prints of 948, 949 and 950 (see^back of print) are some other marks that 
look like stains. These are due to water drops on the drying film, 
particularly noticeable in the lower right hand corner of 948. 1 do not 
think thes?will show as much as the paper stains on some of the other 
prints, but if you think advisable 1 will make some more negatives of these 
1 aould have prevented these water stains if I had realized in time that 
they were developing, but 1 have had so little trouble from this source 
that it did not occur to me that 1 would have to take special precautions 
against it until it was too late. 
You did not say whether you wanted the plants returned immediately. 
If you do please let me know and 1 will mail them, otherwise 1 will hold 
them temporarily until 1 learn definitely that 1 may not be going grp 
to Cambridge before long. 
Sincerely, 
'—n 
ranklin Collins 
