Bulletin - United States National Museum - Smithsonian Institution

FLORA OF WASHINGTON AND VICINITY. 215
by a crank. He should never be without twine or some kind of string,
and ought to be provided with a few tags with metallic eyelets for
marking the exact localities of plants which he wishes to find again. A
small field-glass or spy-glass will be found a useful thing, not only in
often aiding him to orient himself in his prolonged rambles in unaccus-
tomed parts of the country, and in affording him the greatly increased
pleasure of viewing his distant surroundings from certain commanding
positions in Avhich he will sometimes suddenly and- unexpectedly find
himself, but also as a legitimate aid in collecting; as where he desires to-
know in advance whether a tree contains specimens worth climbing it
for, or whether a flower across a stream is familiar or new to him. An
ordinary opera-glass will answer this purpose, but a stronger power is
better, and may be had without increase of size if the proper search is.
made at the optician's.
Last, but not least, the collector needs a driuking-cup. It should fold
up for the pocket, and the metallic kind is too cumbrous. Either a cup
of pure rubber, that can be wadded together, or the leather kind, that
folds regularly into the form of a thin, stiff" card (which is the best form),
should be looked for. These articles, with a memorandum book or block
and a pencil or fountain pen, complete the necessary outfit of a botanist,
and anything greatly in excess of these will be pretty sure to be found
an encumbrance rather than aid.
For most herbaceous plants enough has already been said to guide
the beginner in securing good specimens. oSTearly all botanists take a
pride in this, and aside from its purely esthetic aspect, it is of the first
scientific importance. The plant should in all cases be represented, and
as art only aims to imitate nature, so good taste coincides with the
scientific requirement that the plant after collection shall resemble as
nearly as possible the plant before collection.
Small annuals growing in loose soil can usually be pulled up by the
roots without injury to the latter, and this is then the best course; but
if the plant is very rare it is best not to trust to this, for fear of injuring
the only specimen. It is but the work of a moment to insert the trowel
below it and carefully shake the roots clean. Nearly all biennials and
perennials require to be dug u]), but this will be found less labor than
might be supposed. A little practice will render any one skilled enough
to take up nearly all ordinary plants with one or two strokes of the
trowel. As it is impossible to tell in which direction a horizontal
rhizoma may extend, it is best to strike in at some distance from the