6174. To Copy Ferns

6174.    To Copy Ferns. Dip them well in common porter, and then lay them flat between white sheets of paper, with slight pressure, and let them dry out.

6175. To Preserve Natural Flowers

6175.    To Preserve Natural Flowers. Dip the flowers in melted paraffine, withdrawing them quickly. The liquid should be only just hot enough to maintain its fluidity, and the flowers should be dipped one at a time, held by the stalks and moved about for an instant to get rid of air bubbles. Fresh-cut flowers, free from moisture, make excellent specimens in this way.

6176. To Collect and Preserve Specimens of Plants

6176.    To Collect and Preserve Specimens of Plants. To form what is called the hortus siccus, or herbarium, various methods are employed, but the following is recommended as the most simple. The articles requisite for the purpose consist of a dozen quires of smooth soft paper of a large size, 6 boards of about an inch in thickness, and 4 iron or lead weights, two of them about 30 pounds, and the two others about half that weight, and a botanical box of tin, and of such dimensions as shall be most convenient for the collector. The plants to be preserved ought, if possible, to be gathered in dry weather; but if the weather be wet they should be laid out for some time on a table till partially dried, and when the roots are taken up along with the stems, they must be washed and then exposed to the air for the same purpose.

6177. To Preserve Plants

6177.    To Preserve Plants. Lay over one of the boards two or three sheets of the paper described in the last receipt. On the uppermost sheet spread out the specimen to bo preserved, unfolding its parts so as to give it as natural an appearance as possible, laying out the leaves and flowers with particular care. Over the specimen thus disposed of place several sheets of paper; on the uppermost sheet spread out another specimen, and so proceed till all the plants intended to be preserved are laid down ; and having put over the whole some more sheets of paper, place a board over them with the weights upon it, which may be a number of clean bricks, if iron or lead weights cannot conveniently bo procured. As some plants are delicate and flexible, and others comparatively thick and hard, the former class will require less weight to bo placed over them, and the latter considerably more.

6178. To Preserve the Color and Shape of Plants when Drying

6178.    To Preserve the Color and Shape of Plants when Drying. To preserve the color of flowers when drying, the greatest care is required in changing the papers every second day, which papers ought first to be well dried at the fire. With regard to keeping the shape of flowers, the utmost care and attention is necessary when arranging them on the paper; this can be done by having another piece of paper and gently laying it on part of the flower; the part of the flower so covered with the paper ought to have a small book placed on it. Then begin and lay out the other leaves of the flower, and also press it, and so on, until each part has had the gentle pressure necessary to keep it in position. Let them remain so for a short time, and then put some heavy weight on them; look at them next day, and change the damp paper. Perns may be kept for years quite fresh in color by this simple mode of drying. In 3 or 4 days the plants thus treated should be taken out, together with the paper in which they have been deposited, and laid in fresh paper with 3 or 4 sheets between every 2 plants, and the board and weights laid upon them as before. This process must be continued till the plants are perfectly dried. Each specimen is then to bo placed on a sheet of dry paper, along with a memorandum of the name of the plant, the place and time at which it was gathered, the character of the soil from which it was taken, and any other particulars tending to illustrate its character and history.