B O T 
it gently again for a day or two, with a half-flieet of blof- 
fotn-paper between the folds of the writing-paper. When 
it is quite dry, write upon the left-hand inner page of the 
paper, the name of the plant; the fpecific character; the 
place where, and the time when, it was found ; and any 
other remarks you think proper. Uponthe back of the 
fame page, near the fold of the paper, write the name of 
the plant, and then place it in your cabinet. A fmall quan¬ 
tity of finely powdered arfenic, or corrofive fuhlimate, is 
frequently mixed with the pafte or gum-water, to prevent 
the devaftations of infetts; but the feeds of ftaves-acre 
finely powdered, will anfwer the fame purpofe, without 
being liable to corrode or to change the colour of the more 
delicate plants. A little alum added to the pafte makes it 
keep longer, and a little coarfe brown fugar difiblved in 
the gum-water, renders it lefs brittle when dry. Some 
people put the dried plants into the Iheets of writing-pa¬ 
per, without fattening them down at all, which is far the 
molt ufeful way : others only fallen them by means of fmall 
flips of paper, palled acrofs the Item or branches, and others 
again few them to the paper with fine thread or filk. 
Another more expeditious method is to take the plants 
out of the prefs, after the firft or fecond day; let them 
remain upon the pafteboard ; cover them with five or fix 
leaves of bloflom-paper, and iron them with a hot fmooth- 
ing iron, until they are perfectly dry. Care mult be taken 
that the iron be not made too hot, or it will change the co¬ 
lours. This is quite the belt method to treat the different 
fpecies of Orchis, and other flimy mucilaginous plants. 
The following method of preferving plants in their ori¬ 
ginal Ihape and colour, is recommended in the Encyclo¬ 
paedia Britannica. Walh a fufficient quantity of fine land, 
fo as perfectly to feparate it from all other fubftances ; dry 
it; pafs it through a fieve to clear it from any grofs par¬ 
ticles which would not rife in the walhing: take an earthen 
veff'el of a proper fize and form, for every plant and flower 
which you intend to preferve; gather your plants and flow¬ 
ers when they are in a ftate of perfection, and in dry wea¬ 
ther, and always with a convenient portion of the Italk : 
heat a little of the dry fand prepared as above, and lay it 
in the bottom of the veff'el, fo as equally to cover it; put 
the plant or flower upon it, fo as that no part of it may 
touch the (ides of the veflel: fift or fliake in more of the 
fame fand gradually upon it, fo that the leaves may be ex¬ 
tended by degrees, and without injury, till the plant or 
flower is covered about two inches thick : put the veff'el 
into a Itove, or hot-houfe, heated by little and little to the 
.50th degree ; let it Hand there a day or two, or perhaps 
more, according to the thicknefs and fucculence of the 
flower or plant; then gently fliake the fand out upon a 
Iheet of paper, and take out the plant, which you will 
find in all its beauty, the Ihape as elegant, and the colour 
as vivid, as when it grew. Some flowers require certain 
little operations to preferve the adherence of their petals, 
particularly the tulip; with refpeCt to which it is neceflary, 
before it is buried in the fand, to cut the triangular fruit 
which rifes in the middle of the flower, for the petals will 
then remain more firmly attached to the (talk. 
The following improved method of preferving plants, 
is the invention of T. Velley, Efq. of Bath, author of 
Obfervations on the Propagation of Marine Plants, &c. 
Place the plant when frefli, between feveral Iheets of blot¬ 
ting-paper, and iron it witn a large fmooth heater, pretty 
ftrongly wanned, till all the moifture is diffipated. Fix 
down the flowers and fructification with gum, upon the 
paper on which they are to remain, and iron them in that 
ftate, by which means they become almoft incorporated 
into the paper in their proper forms. Many colours have 
been fixed by this means, which frequently forfook the 
flowers during the gradual and tedious procefg of fand- 
heats, and other njethods of a fimilar nature. Some plants 
require a more moderate heat than others : experience mult 
^determine this ; and herein confifts the nicety of the ex- 
perimefit. Major Velley fays, “the forms and colours 
Teem to remain more perfect by this mode than by any other 
Vol. III. No. 131. 
ANY. 305: 
I have been able to try. If the mucilaginous and fuccu- 
lent plants do not fucceed fo well with refpef! to their co¬ 
lour, under the hot fmoothing iron, I have always found 
that they failed full as much or more, when prelerved by 
other means. The colours of the blofloms in the clafs di 
dynamia, I could never fix by a fand-heat. Several of 
thefe, as well as of the rough-leaved plants, 1 have pre- 
ferved tolerably well by ironing.” 
It is neceflary to obferve, that in compound flowers, of 
in thofe of a folid and more ftubborn form, as the Centau- 
rea, &c. fome little art mult be employed in cutting away 
the under part, by which means the profile and form of 
the flowers will be more diftinCtly exhibited, provided 
they are to be repafted down. After all, it muft be re¬ 
membered that a plant, when prelerved in a molt perfeC^ 
ftate, is a kind of hygrometer; and if expofed for any time 
to a moift atmofphere, or laid up in a fituation which is 
not perfectly dry, will imbibe a degree of humidity that 
mult foon prove injurious to the beauty of the fpecimen. 
The following method of preparing plants for an her. 
barium, is given by Mr. Wliateley, furgeon, in London. 
—Previous to the drying of plants by this plan, it will be 
neceflary to procure the following apparatus. 1. A ftrong 
oak box of the fize and Ihape of thofe ufed for the pack¬ 
ing up of tin plates. 2. A quantity of fine dry and fearced 
land of any kind, fufficient to fill the box. 3. A conli- 
derable number of pieces of pliant paper, from one to 
four inches fquare. 4. Some fmall flat leaden weights, 
and a few fmall bound books. 
The fpecimen of any plant intended for the herbarium, 
ftiould be carefully cdlleCted when dry and in the height 
of its flowering, with the different parts as perfect as pof- 
fible, and in the fmaller plants the roots Ihould be taken 
up. It Ihould then be brought home in a tin box well 
clofed from the air. The plants Ihould be cleared from 
the decayed leaves and dirt, and afterwards laid upon the 
infide of one of the leaves of a Iheet of common cap pa¬ 
per. The upper leaves and flowers Ihould then be cover¬ 
ed in an expanded ftate by pieces of the prepared paper, 
which may be placed in any irregular way, and kept down 
by the fingers till thefe parts of the plant are entirely co¬ 
vered by them ; and after that, let one or two of the lea¬ 
den weights be placed Upon the papers. As the beauty 
of the fpecimen depends very much upon this part of the 
procefs, each large petal ought to be laid flat feparately 
with a piece of paper, and the utmoft care taken that every 
part of the plant be laid down without folds, which may 
be done in general in a Ifiort time. The parts of the plant 
below Ihould then be covered with the pieces of paper, 
and likewife with the weights, and thus the whole plant 
fhould be laid in its proper expanded form by the fame 
method. The weights fliould then be carefully removed, 
and the other leaf of the Iheet of paper applied to its op- 
pofite one, having the loofe pieces of paper and plant be¬ 
tween them. After which, one or two of the books Ihould 
be placed on the outfide of the paper, and remain there 
till as many other plants as are intended to be preferved, 
have been prepared in like manner. A layer of land an 
inch deep fliould then be put into the box, and afterwards 
one of the plants with the books placed upon it, which 
lalt fliould be removed after a fufficient quantity of fand 
is put upon the paper,' to prevent the plant from varying 
its form. All the other plants may then be put into the 
box in the fame manner, with a layer of fand about an inch 
thick between each, when the fand fliould be gently prefled 
down by the foot, and the degree of preflure in fome mea- 
fure regulated by the kind of plants in.the box. If they 
are (lift' and firm, as the holly or furze, much preffhre is 
required. If tender and fucculent, a letter degree is bet¬ 
ter, for fear of extravafating the juices, which would in¬ 
jure the colour of the plant; but particular care fliould be 
taken to make a fufficient degree of preflure upon the ex¬ 
panded blofloms of plants, that they may not (hrivel in 
drying. The box Ihould then be carefully placed before 
a fire, with one fide a little raifed, or 01calionally flat, as 
4 H may 
