480

United States Department of Agriculture,

Botanical Division,

Washington, D. C. May 20, 1891.

Prof. C. E. Bessey,

Lincoln, Nebraska.

My dear Sir:

Your letter of the fourteenth inst. is at hand and
is perfectly satisfactory. Prof. Willetts is absent for this week
but will return early next week and then Mr. Rydberg's commission
will be issued to begin the twelvth of June. We will send him
some vouchers on which he will make out his charge (or he will per-
haps prepare that) and he will send them in once a month, or in his
case as only part of a month will occur in June, he can wait un-
til the first of July and then send in the vouchers to cover boht
months. He can do as is most convenient to him. He must inform
us where his check is to be sent. He will have to advance his
own funds until he gets return for his vouchers. The route you in-
dicate appears to be a good one and I hope will furnish many good
things.

Respectfully,
Geo. Vasey (signature)
Botanist.

In sending specimens of plants for investigation it is desirable to include the entire plant. If it is too large, portions showing leaves, flowers, and fruit are sufficient. It is best to prepare the specimens by drying them under pressure between folds of absorbent paper, otherwise the parts may shrink and break so as to be hardly recognizable. When dried plants are sent they should be protected from breakage in the mail by being inclosed in sheets of paper between pieces of stiff pasteboard. If specimens are to be sent fresh, moisten them slightly and pack them tightly in a box or in a bundle, wrapping them in heavy paper. Write the name of the sender on the outside. In the letter accompanying the specimen [ ] state where each plants was collected, the date, the name of the collector, and add any other[ [ ] in regard to the [ ] value of the plant.