The Australasian/1869/04/17/Preserving Seaweed

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Sir,—I think if your correspondent "S. H.," who inquires how best to prepare "seaweeds," will try the plan I constantly adopt, and which is that recommended by the great authority, Dr. Harvey, he will find the result satisfactory. The mode you advise, by permitting the specimens to be shifted from the paper during the process of drying, would, in most cases, occasion them to shrivel. Perhaps a detail of my proceedings will be more intelligible than a bare recipe.

Taking possession of the dining-table for my operations, I have a white tablecloth laid on it, then I have the basin brought containing the specimens (in fresh water), another basin, also full of fresh water, a jug of water, and the largest dish of my dinner-service. Beside me I have plenty of common white writing paper and white cartridge. Fitting the dish with water, I select a piece of "weed" from the basin, wash it in the second basin, and, according to its size, select a piece of paper, which I lay on the dish, letting the water cover it; then I float the piece of weed over the paper, spreading it carefully out, cutting away part of the branches if too dense to be well displayed, and taking care to unravel all twists in the larger stems. A very convenient implement for this is a middle-sized hair pencil, with one end of the stick made sharp-pointed. A pin or needle is too thin, and tears the soaked paper. The brash serves to sweep off fragments which float about the specimen. When nicely arranged, the paper is gently drawn from the water, watching that the sprays keep their proper places, it is drained for a few seconds on the dish, and laid on the tablecloth. Continue thus, till the table is full, or till the specimens first done begin to threaten drying. They must not be permitted to do so at this stage. Then lay over each a piece of any clean fine rag, and proceed to put all under pressure. My present press is very simple. On a broad window-seat I law two or threeold newspapers flatly folded, then one of my specimens on its wet paper with the rag over, then two or three more newspapers, then another specimen, and so on to the end. When all are thus laid smoothly, I add a board, one or two heavy books (acts of Colonial Parliaments, or Votes and Proceedings are very useful in this way), and on top of all a bag of shot. A ream or two of blotting-paper would be better than old newspapers, but is not always so easily procured. In three days, at most, remove all the damp newspapers, and substitute dry ones, but do not disturb the rags until the papers on which the weeds are spread have become dry; then the rag will peel off the most delicate frondes without injury, leaving the specimen (in most cases) closely adhering to the white paper; only a very few of the algæ become loose when dry, many have a propensity to contract ever afterwards, and require to be kept closely between the leaves of a large book.—Yours, &c.,

Malunnah, Tasmania, April 3. L. A. M.