The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-23
IDEAS fnr 1Mo1nen.

An interesting and instructive employ
ment for children In the summer Is to
prepare a collection OF preserved speci-
mems Of ali the plants growing ON the
home property. whether tits a village
lot or an extensive COUNTRY place.
There will be plenty of material In
either case. Such an undertaking would
give occasion for many a pleasant and
profitable rambie and would be a capital
training OF the observing faculties, while
ii Is also possible that there might re-
suit from such work some real benefit
to science.
I'm making a herbarium,g says an au-
thority on the subject. "it is well to
start with certain weil-deaned limits in
view. n to work thoroughly and well
within those limits. If you were collect
ing all forms Of vegetable hfe the ex-
tent would be appalling, and 1t is. there
fore, desirable to limit your first collec-
ton to some especial field"
Flowering plants are, of course. the
most interesting, and the smaller child
can be Interested In their collection and
preservation, according 10 the New York
.sTribune.' Not only Is the habit of
observation strengthened and useful
knowledge obtained by summer work OF
this kind, but the habits Of neatness inc
system which are absolutely necessary
are of the greatest advantage in after
life.
Each child should have his or her own
kit, consisting of a tin collecting box.
a pair of strong, blunt scissors, a small
trowei. and, If old enough, a strong
jackknife-these for field work
Indoors he ought to have q recognized
place at q work table or desk. and a
portfolio; or. better still, a mounting
box, which Is a box lined with tin to pre-
vent insects from entering. with a hing
ed top and a hinged front. which can
be left open while arranging or looking
at the sheets OF specimens.
The drying sheets the child himself
should prepare. These consist of squares
of newspapers folded a little smaller
than the inside measurement of the box
or the portfolios good size is a paper
k2axls folded SO as to be Inks. As soon
as practicable after the specimens are
brought home they should be placed in
the drying sheets, and a record of the
plant should be written on the left-hand
corner Of the sheet.
Its name Of possible). the locality
where 1t was growing together with its
conditions, the date Of Its collection and
any other details OF interest. Such notes
can be made hurriedly at this time and
in abbreviated form. When the speci-
mems are mounted they can be written
out more neatly and with greater elab-
GRAFTON.
In arranging specimens In the drying
sheets care should be taken that they
should have a pleasing appearance The
backs as we'll as the fronts of the flowers
and leaves should show, and while the
surplus of leaves and branches should
he clipped or care shout be taken that
the whole plant should have as natural
an appearance az possible. Various ex-
pedients to keep the shape of the differ
ent parts of a plant viii suggest them
selves in the drying.
A lady,s slipper, for instance, may
have e wad OF cotton inserted In the bag
OF the flower, thick stems or even fruit
may be sliced or the pulp removed. In
pressing such specimens. pads of paper
torn to proper sizes and Of suitable thick
ness should be placed over the thinner
parts Of the specimen as the thicker parts
are reduced by drying.
e,z
w n9u- t1c P&dHtH &kt PNRfEtAt a4Aa1SNa
in the folded drying papers, they should
be placed between thick hiotting paper
to absorb the moisture. These papers
should b frequently changed to dry
blotters. The first day or two twice in
the twenty-four hours viii be necessary;
afterward every other day will do, until
the specimen is quite dry.
If plants are put In a portfolio they
should be poisoned, SO that they viii be
insect proof, but in a tin mounting-box
this il not necessary, except for ex-
c~sptionally rare specimens. It goes with
out saying that corrosive sublimate,
which liz generally used for poisoning.
should only be handled by an expert
enced person. After the plant is dried
it should be mounted tehmrned Is the best
way, although some naturaltsts prefer
strips of paper or bristol-board, and its
history written in a clear. neat ham In
the corner of the board.
If a child does It, it Is best to write 1t
first in pencil. so that any mistake may
be erased, and then traced over. It would
take too long, In these columns. to tell
of the interesting possibilities of such a
collection, but enough has been said to
suggest an employment for summer
leisure tina might be made both amusing !
and profitable to oun people. and even,
also. to children of a larger growth"
go
If a woman is ambitious to swim in the
surf, she would better be satisfied to at
tain that end gradually, says 'Harper's
Bazaar" trhis by-the-why. Is taking for
granted that she is already q good still
water swimmer, for a rough sea is not the
place in which to learn conveniently the
first principles of the exercise.) It is bet
ter, then, for the first two or three days.
merely to accuston ones, self to endure
the merciless pounding Of the waves; to
make little swimming trials when there
is a brief hull in the surf, and TO learn
to face the breakers feartessly and plunge |
into them head-frst as they approach. |
For mis- Is what must be done when one |
starts to swim out towards the buoy-iine. |
The only way to ana It is to stand
in the water a little way out, facing the
open sea. Watch. the approaching |
combar, and dive into II r~esolutely just
as the foam begins to curl along it's edge,
indicating that It Is about TO break. Once
through this wave you win barely have
time to shake the water out of your eyes |
and take q breath before. a second one is !
upon you. This must be met in the same
way, and perhaps q third one. Two or
three are usually all y6u viii have to