When duly spread, all redundant or interfering branches should be
lopped off, as the growth is sometimes very thick, and a branch cannot
always be made to lie flat in its place. When this has been done, and
the best shape given to the plant, it is to be transferred to paper. For
this purpose, pieces of firm drawing paper, not too thick, must be pro-
vided. It is best to have them cut to suitable sizes, and in readiness for
use. A paper of sufficient size to take the whole plant, and to have a
suitable margin, is next to be quietly slipped under the specimen as it
lies expanded in the water, and it may then be lifted by one end gently
and carefully from the dish. Care must be taken that the branches, of
which the lower and larger will generally come first, are- in place on the
paper as it leaves the water, and each of the others as its turn comes,
till the whole specimen is displayed upon the paper very nearly as it
was when in the water. If the parts of the specimen fall over one
another in leaving the water, they may be restored to their positions by
the aid of ,a~ camel's hair pencil and a smooth little point of wood or
bone. AfteV4nis comes a still more critical piece of work. . The speci-
men, if a delicate one, will have the fringes of fine fibres, which look so
beautiful in the water, all run together upon the paper in an undis-
tinguishable mass, along the branch. These must now be picked out
with a needle, while a little water remains upon the paper to facilitate
the movement of them. At length, the whole specimen, with all its
branches in place, all its delicate structure brought to view, and all its
fine fringes displayed, or, if a full leaf, with its edges carefully laid in
plaits, has received its last touches from some light and tasteful hartd,
and is ready for preservation. It may then be placed upon a sloping
surface to drain off the superfluous water before it is placed in the
press.
When sufficiently free from moisture, a number of specimens — the
gathering, perhaps, of a single day — may be pressed at once. The first
is to be placed upon a flat board of convenient size, a piece of muslin
spread smoothly over it, two or three thicknesses of absorbing paper,
smoothly laid above and below it ; another specimen is then to be
placed above it, to be followed by the same round of muslin and paper —
till all have been put in place. The use of the muslin is to prevent the
specimen from adhering to the paper above it, in which case it would
probably be torn to pieces when the covering paper is removed.
The whole mass should then be covered with another smooth and
strong board and subjected to heavy pressure. After two or three
days the specimens should be examined, dry cloths spread over them,
and all wrinkles in the paper, so far as possible be removed, and the
plants returned to the press till the papers are thoroughly dry ; since, if
removed from it while yet damp, they will dry irregularly, and cannot
again be readily smoothed. On each specimen, the name, date and
locality should be written.
334 SEA- WEED SPECIMENS.
Page 295
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
When duly spread, all redundant or interfering branches should be lopped off, as the growth is sometimes very thick, and a branch cannot always be made to lie flat in its place. When this has been done, and the best shape given to the plant, it is to be transferred to paper. For this purpose, pieces of firm drawing paper, not too thick, must be provided. It is best to have them cut to suitable sizes, and in readiness for use. A paper of sufficient size to take the whole plant, and to have a suitable margin, is next to be quietly slipped under the specimen as it lies expanded in the water, and it may then be lifted by one end gently and carefully from the dish. Care must be taken that the branches, of which the lower and larger will generally come first, are- in place on the paper as it leaves the water, and each of the others as its turn comes, till the whole specimen is displayed upon the paper very nearly as it was when in the water. If the parts of the specimen fall over one another in leaving the water, they may be restored to their positions by the aid of ,a~ camel's hair pencil and a smooth little point of wood or bone. After this comes a still more critical piece of work. . The specimen, if a delicate one, will have the fringes of fine fibres, which look so beautiful in the water, all run together upon the paper in an undistinguishable mass, along the branch. These must now be picked out with a needle, while a little water remains upon the paper to facilitate the movement of them. At length, the whole specimen, with all its branches in place, all its delicate structure brought to view, and all its fine fringes displayed, or, if a full leaf, with its edges carefully laid in plaits, has received its last touches from some light and tasteful hand, and is ready for preservation. It may then be placed upon a sloping surface to drain off the superfluous water before it is placed in the press.
When sufficiently free from moisture, a number of specimens — the gathering, perhaps, of a single day — may be pressed at once. The first is to be placed upon a flat board of convenient size, a piece of muslin spread smoothly over it, two or three thicknesses of absorbing paper, smoothly laid above and below it ; another specimen is then to be placed above it, to be followed by the same round of muslin and paper — till all have been put in place. The use of the muslin is to prevent the specimen from adhering to the paper above it, in which case it would probably be torn to pieces when the covering paper is removed.
The whole mass should then be covered with another smooth and strong board and subjected to heavy pressure. After two or three days the specimens should be examined, dry cloths spread over them, and all wrinkles in the paper, so far as possible be removed, and the plants returned to the press till the papers are thoroughly dry ; since, if removed from it while yet damp, they will dry irregularly, and cannot again be readily smoothed. On each specimen, the name, date and locality should be written.
334 SEA- WEED SPECIMENS.