Note 70 — PART THE FIRST.

See Directions for bringing over seeds and plants from the East-Indies, by J. Ellis, F. R. S. &c. in which particular directions are given, both to choose the proper seeds, and to preserve them in the best manner for vegetation. See also the Naturalist’s and traveller’s companion, containing instructions for discovering and preserving objects of natural history, Sect. III. We may observe here, that the best method of bringing over the parts of flowers intire is to put them in bottles of spirit of wine, good rum, first runnings, or brandy. In the directions, &c. above-mentioned the learned naturalist has not recommended this easy method of preserving the parts of fructification; but in a future edition, I am informed he purposes to do it. Flowers of the Illicium Floridanum, or starry anniseed tree, published in the last volume of Philosophical Transactions (LX.) were sent to him in this manner.

In a paper by John Sneyd, Esq. inserted in the Transactions of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Vol. XVI. p. 265, a method of preserving seeds is related, which appears to have been highly successful; this is merely by packing up seeds in absorbent paper, and surrounding the same by raisins, or brown moist sugar; which, by experiment, seems to afford that genial moisture requisite to preserve the seeds in a state fit for vegetation.

Thouin, in his directions to the unfortunate navigator Pèrouse, recommends the seeds to be placed “in alternate layers of earth or sand, in tin boxes, which must be closed up exactly, and placed in solid cases, which should be covered with waxed cloth; the boxes should be put in a part of the ship the least accessible to moisture, and the most sheltered from extreme heat or cold.” Vol. I. p. 278.