After the roots have been dug the adherent soil should be well shaken from them, and all foreign particles, such as stones, dirt, roots and parts of other plants, should be removed. If the roots can not be sufficiently cleared of soil by shaking, they should be thoroughly washed in clean water. It does not pay to be careless in this matter. The presence of soil increases the weight of the roots, but the intending purchaser is not willing to pay for the weight of the dirt, and grades the uncleaned drug accordingly. It is the clean, bright-looking root that will bring a good price. After washing, the roots should be carefully dried. This can best be accomplished by exposing them to light and air (not direct sunlight) on racks or shelves, or on clean, well-ventilated barn floors or lofts. They should be spread out thinly and turned occasionally from day to day until completely cured. When this point is reached, in perhaps three to six weeks, the roots will snap readily when bent. During the curing process the roots, if dried out of doors, should be placed under shelter at night and upon the approach of rainy weather. With some roots additional preparation is required, such as slicing and the removal of fibrous rootlets. Wherever this is necessary mention will be made of it under the descriptions of the different plants. In general, it may be said that large roots should always be split or sliced when green in order to facilitate drying. BARKS. The plants considered in this bulletin do not furnish medicinal barks, but inasmuch as there are certain sections of the country where trees furnishing such barks are rather abundant, directions for their collection may not be out of place here. Barks of trees should be gathered in spring, when the sap begins to flow, but may also be peeled in winter. In the case of the coarser barks (as elm, hemlock, poplar, oak, pine, and wild cherry) the outer layer is shaved off before the bark is removed from the tree, which process is known as “rossing.” Only the inner bark of these trees is used medicinally. Barks may also be cured by exposure to sunlight. Moisture must be avoided. LEAVES AND HERBS. Leaves and herbs should be collected when the plants are in full flower. It is very desirable that they retain their bright green color after curing, and this can be done by careful drying in the shade. In the collection of leaves the whole plant may be cut and the leaves may be stripped from it, rejecting the stems as much as possible. In the case of herbs the coarse and large stems should be rejected and only the flowering tops and more tender stems and leaves included. All grasses, bits of other plants, and other foreign substances should be carefully removed, as well as dead, shriveled, diseased, and discolored specimens.