For section cutting, special razors are sold, they are heavy as a rule and not hollow ground. Many microscopists aver that good sections cannot be cut with a hollow ground razor, we beg to differ, however. On this point we would advise our readers to select whichever pattern suits them best; there is no need to buy an expensive razor, for our early efforts, at anyrate, will quickly dull the cutting edge and there is no advantage in going to much expense in this direction. To cut really good sections is not difficult, it is a question of knack rather than skill; having once acquired the knack, practice will do the rest. The great point is to begin properly, some people never take the necessary trouble in their early days and, as a consequence, they never learn to cut good sections. There is nothing mysterious about the operation, a section is merely a very thin slice. A good section for examination under the microscope should, of course, be so thin that it is transparent; it should be equally thin everywhere, not thick in some places and thin in others and it should be cut in the proper direction. The last statement requires a little explanation; suppose we wish to make a section straight across a stem, a transverse section it would be called, then we must see to it that our section is cut straight across, and not in such a manner that the portion from which the section is cut tapers in the slightest degree. Before we begin the actual section cutting we must always trim up our specimen with one of the dissecting knives and not attempt to make the surface level with the razor. As a start, let us take some moderately fleshy plant stem for we shall find it as easy to cut as anything. Our stem must not be woody, for till we have had a fair amount of practice we shall damage our razor on its hard structures; it must not be too soft or it will be crushed out of all recognition in our fingers; it should not be hollow, for solid stems are always easier to cut. Having selected our stem and the spot upon it at which we require a section, we cut straight across it at that spot with our dissecting knife, in such a manner that the cut edge is as nearly as possible at right angles to the sides of the stem. A piece two or three inches long is the most comfortable to hold.