5. _Seeds._—Travellers may easily make valuable contributions to our
knowledge of the vegetation of distant countries by preserving seeds
of remarkable and unusual plants. The only precautions necessary are,
to select seeds that are fully ripe; if enclosed in a seed vessel, or
covering of a succulent character, to take care that this is thoroughly
dried before they are packed; and that they are preserved from moisture
during the homeward voyage. Small seeds may be enclosed in paper, the
larger kinds in canvas bags, and the whole wrapped in a piece of oiled
cloth. It is very desirable to keep each description of seed separate,
and to note the place where it was gathered, with indications of
altitude, soil, and climate.
6. _Bulbs._—These are easily obtained, but as a rule, they should be
taken only at the end of the growing season, and kept until the leaves
are quite withered. They should be packed dry in a small box with
shavings, or other elastic stuffing. The same treatment will suit the
pseudo-bulbs of some orchids.
7. _Fleshy Tubers._—Fleshy and thick tubers are best sent in boxes,
wrapped in slightly moist materials, such as cocoa-nut fibre, peat, or
leaf mould.
8. _Living Plants._—As a general rule, these require to be established in
pots or boxes for some time before being packed for transmission. They
travel best in what are called Wardian cases; but an ordinary wooden box
covered with a glass top, and with sufficient moisture in the soil and
air to prevent excessive evaporation, is found to answer the purpose. The
cases should be kept on deck under some protection from the direct heat
of the sun. Tropical plants should be despatched so as to reach England
during the summer months. At other seasons they are liable to perish from
cold.
9. _Succulent Plants_, such as cacti, aloe, houseleeks, &c., survive
for a long time if packed without earth in a perfectly dry box, with
sufficient openings for ventilation.
10. Small plants with woody roots and cuttings of larger species of
plants from the north or south temperate zones often travel successfully
when merely packed with a little soil, slightly moist, about the roots,
and a wrapping of damp moss, or similar substance, tied up in thick paper
or canvas. There is, however, much risk of failure in these cases where,
on the homeward voyage, it is necessary to pass through the tropics.
As a general rule, plants are more often injured by excess of moisture
than by being sent too dry.
It is desirable to make use of every favourable opportunity for sending
botanical collections of all kinds to England, as in hot countries they
are always exposed to risk of injury.
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