Field Museum of Natural History T HLRBARIUiM ORGANIZATION r, Depan Chicagc ^ Field Museum of Natural History Museum Technique Series No. I HERBARIUM ORGANIZATION BY Charles F. Millspauc.h Late Curator, Department of Botany B. E. Dahlgren Acting Curator, Department of Botany KDITOK Chicago, U. S. A. June, 1925 HERBARIUM ORGANIZATION BY C. F. IflLLSPAUGH The organization and maintenance of the herbarium of the Field Musetmi of Natural History has been imder my personal supervision since its incipiency. The system employed in this herbarium, which now contains over a half million sheets, embraces useful practices not common in other herbaria in America or Europe. It has been built up on the premise that each specimen should tell its whole story for all time and not be dependent upon the memory of those who form the staff under whose necessarily temporary care it falls. Accessions Immediately upon the receipt of a collection of plants in the her- bariimi, the recording clerk assigns to the package, or to each package, the next consecutive "accession number" and fills in all the items of which he has information at the time on an accession blank (repre- sented in a condensed form in fig. i ) which is filed in the department. For the archives of the Museum, for filing in the Recorder's office together with the correspondence, receipts and other matter pertaining to the acquisition of each accession, an accession card, such as shown in fig. 2, is used by all departments of the Museimi. The recording clerk then attaches to the packages a routine ticket (fig. 3) and stores the packages away to await their turn in mounting. The motmting preparator selects all the packages of a given acces- sion number and passes the specimens through the poisoning, laying- out, gluing and strapping processes. At the conclusion of each process he enters the date on the routine ticket, appending his initials thereto, and eventually the ticket is turned over to the recording clerk for entry on the department accession blank. Information is thus always at hand to check the work done by each preparator. When the plants of an accession are mounted, they are passed over to the recording clerk who arranges the sheets in the order of the collector's niunbers. (Should the accession be a mixed one, the sheets are first arranged according to collectors and localities tmder each collector.) 4 Field Museum of Natural History — Technique, No. i. Anno.. Accession No. Field Museum of Natural History DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY COLLECTION FROM Acquired by Received by. Coll. by Coll. at Poisoned by i. Laid out and labeled by... Mounted by _... Entered by. „ Catalogue Nos. Accession filed Stored Distributed by Date. .... Date .... Date. .... Date ._ Date .....Vol Page. .to.. Case. Date.. Herbarium specimens Economic " Dry Fruits Fruits in Formalin Dupl. for Distribution Total specimens installed. Collector Locality Date Spec. Fig. I, Accession Blank (x |) front and back Hbrbarium Organization — Millspauor. Accession Card D No. Date IW. FMd Museum of Natural History CMci^w Mrr. CXONAM«C. PUMCMASK. COLLATVD. mom MwscuM cxpcm-noN. Cr««tt* AMr«M . Rac«lv«tf frwai . By _ Collated br ... DateCollMto^. LtcaUty __ D— crtp M en ol Ofcjtc to; Total Nuaibcr of SpcclmeiM CaUlot*4 Cmtalmg Nnmbcr* DapOcatM lor DisUlbitUoa N«(M Curator Pig. a (X I) 6 Field Museum of Natural History — Technique, No. i. ACCESSION LABEL DETERMINE DISTRIBUTE ARRANGE ENTER PERF. STAMP MOUNT STRAP POISON LAY OUT Fig. 3, Routine Ticket (x f ) Herbarium Organization — Millspaugh. 7 The recording clerk then enters the sheets in sequence in the current Herbarium Catalogue, stamping each sheet with its catalogue number over the herbariimi stamp. (Every herbarium should mark its sheets by impressing them with a characteristic ownership stamp.) The Catalogue The catalogue volimies are uniform, first class "bookkeeper's ledgers," firmly and flexibly bound. They are "title-backed" with consecutive voltmie numbers. The page lines are consecutively ntmibered beginning with i, in volume i, and continuing to infinity. Each volume used in this institution contains 625 pages of 40 lines n^tloJ^^ J^^LnxL^^ LOCAUTY-^ j DATES riR»T CNTRV VOL. P*0( LAST VOL. INTWV TOTAL SPCCIMCN* 31 51 112 477 1 2 ISSI ^67 51 4 31 AO 477 1 A7 55 47 4 Fig. 4, Specimen Card from the Iniex of Collectors each and therefore accommodates 25, 000 specimens. Every plant placed in the organized herbarium is catalogued even if it is the only one ever received from a given collector. When the cataloguing of the plants of an accession is completed, the recording clerk fills the remaining blanks on the accession form, files it away, and turns over the catalogued plants to the keeper-of- the-herbaritmi. He then selects from the "Index of Collectors" the cards of the collectors comprised in the accession and adds to each (fig. 4) the number of newly catalogued specimens, changing the last page record after adding the volume and page of the last previous 8 Field Museum Natural History — Technique, No. i. u^*auM9^, ^c.tnft . f»T IMIT ft, n*t *»*. H, *— Id ^.m'Jf^^Nmw.M^tv^jl^.^X.. 1185 feU^.S 4ii 9 r s^71 1 specimen Card from the Geographic Index Herbarium Organization — Millspaugh. 9 entry in the catalogue. Should there have been no previous accession from a collector, a new card is added to the index. He then removes the proper cards from the "Geographic Index" and makes the appro- priate record thereon (fig. 5.) The objects achieved by this method of cataloguing are many: (a) The date of receipt; size and character of a collection; the person or herbaritmi from which it was received, etc., etc., are now on permanent record. (b) Should a collection be offered for sale the curator can immedi- ately inform himself as to whether it is needed in the herbarium in his charge or not. (c) It can be ascertained in a moment, how complete is the repre- sentation in the herbarium of any collector's plants, from any locality. (d) The knowledge may at once be gained of how well any given geographic region is represented. (e) Idiosyncrasies in label writing and abbreviations that are frequently indecipherable when taken alone become legible in the light of a large series when handled together. These are made plain dur- ing the process of cataloguing, and are permanently translated in the records*. (f) The Index of Collectors forms a source of biographical data concerning individual activities. (g) Botanists engaged upon special floras find the greatest aid in referring from the geographic index to the catalogue entries per- taining to their field of investigation. Others interested in plants col- lected in certain regions are referred to all the species in the herbaritmi from the region of their interest. (h) Consulting botanists will never need to depend on the working staff of the herbarium for information concerning any particular plant sheet. Everything known concerning each sheet or plant may be learned through the catalogue nimiber stamped on the sheet. (i) Should a plant number of any collector be referred to in a publication under another name than that of its original label, the specimen can be found readily from its catalogue nimiber. •The following is an interesting example of this. A package of plants WM received in exchange from another herbarium, evidently a cast-off from their exccM room. It contains! a series of plants plainly of West Indian origin. Most of the collecting sheets bore simply a number. Later one appeared marked " B 38 " ; another turned up "I. P. 47"; on still another was "J. B. 106"; and finally one was marked "Jos* B. 105." It proved to be the "lost collection of Don Jos* Blain, made on the Isle of Pines in the 60s., that had been discarded on account of lack of label information. lo Field Museum of Natural History — Technique, No. i. 510 COLLECTED BV {£?• ^3320 1 8 8 4 e ■7 8 9 £0333 1 S 8 4 ft « 7 8 e JO3340 1 8 8 4 5 6 7 8 9 SOb350 I S 8 4 6 6 7 t%iJ«»tyi J iluit»tiiffin(g»j^..».'w~yj^.^. x< i i »wii» ; ^^y/3.^ n ii^ii lf , Mt. g ^ •vr T. « •r« • P"<)r **' ' ' ^lltfnAni'«- V r T '^^iiril'ifii ^^^y ^ i ' iMw' ■ rn ^ f ii fK iii ; ^^ wi .^Au#. t ^ .l i m rf i ' i n i« p j W « ' aii H O -, ^^j.j^ i^ ^4w4^M ^^^li. ■•lO I9IZ l»o» IS»* I8SS IS«« t«es ■9IS I9i» ■•Xo 4e( .i&.K^.%.t^^. I»I5 *«» I9a« I9a« .•>3u a(.,,r<;..<&,,JUL. Department Catalogue Herbarium Organization — Millspaugh. II 511 II "^^ •2* -IL- i^^ €■ -11 ■ ■ II ' -A' ^c.^y Ai...>lirfaJ.^>.. ..•^ ^?n»rii|t»iiV ■■•• COLLaCTCD tv t^;^. 908960 5OM70 *r« soaaftc S0SS90 Specimen Pages (x about J) 12 Field Museum of Natural History — Technique, No. i. These items and nvimerous others, constantly occurring as the herbarium grows and is made use of, prove the high value of such a cataloguing system. In case the name of a species proves to be wrong on the collector's label, or if for any other reason it is changed, the correction is made near the label and the sheet handed to the recording clerk who writes the new designation in the catalogue in pencil, over the old, and returns the sheet to its new cover in the herbarium. The specific position of a sheet in the herbarium is not allowed to be changed by any one other than the recording clerk or herbarium keeper. When a large private herbariimi of mounted specimens is acquired, it is first broken down into the sheets of the various collectors repre- sented therein and afterward catalogued and re-distributed into the organized herbarium as in small accessions. In this manner the following herbaria have been incorporated in that of the Field Musetun: Acquired Sheets Bebb, M. S June i, 1896 45,962 Chicago, Univ., of ^ June 25, 1907 44,127 Hall, Elihu2 Feb. 26, 1916 21,763 Heller, A. A Jan. 9, 1902 13,166 Hitchcock, A. Ss Mar. 10, 1908 7,089 Millspaugh, C. F Nov. 28, 1896 5,124 Patterson, Harry W Aug. 17, 1900 37,935 Rothrock, J. T J\ily 19, 1909 22,207 Schott, Arthur Mar. 22, 1897 8,494 Schuette, J. H Dec. 22, 1911 10,992 Small, John K July 12, 1904 20,534 Wahlstedt, L. J Mar. 1,1907 17,556 Every sheet of these herbaria is impressed with a rubber stamp, of distinctive shape, indicating the herbarium to which it originally per- tained. It has not been deemed necessary to append the accession num- ber to the sheets as the catalogue number suffices. Herbarium Cases The most modem and best cases are constructed of steel. These are tightest against dust; will not warp and cause trouble with doors; are at least in part fire-proof; and occupy less floor space in the herbarimn. The t3^e used in this herbarium are so constructed as to leave a space ^Deposited. *Not yet fully organized. 'His Florida herbarium. Herbarium Organization — Millspaugh. 13 of an inch between the shelf faces and the door and a like space between the back of the shelves and the case' back. This serves the purpose of affording ample ventilation and allows the case interior to be more read- ily cleaned when necessary. The blocks of cases are arranged in wings endwise to the side walls. The pigeon holes are spaced 5 inches and are 1 2 inches wide by 1 7 inches deep. The cases are 14 pigeon holes high and have two tiers to the door. There are two half doors to each case front. The cases are built back- to-back into a unit, the pigeon holes being separated from each other at the back by longitudinal strips of steel, one inch wide, and a space of an inch is left between the pigeon hole backs. The plans were drawn and the first few cases built when poisoning by carbon bisvilphide was thought to be efficient*; hence the thorough ventilation, which is per- haps a good feature still as the cases are very readily cleaned with the vacuimi brush. The case units are set together in blocks of four. Each door is pro- \nded with a metal label-holder to csLrry a 5 x 8-inch card upon which is a printed indication of the contents of the section behind the door. SLIDES: Each pigeon hole is converted into a drawer by placing beneath its contents a straw-board slide upon the front of which is hinged, with black muslin, a one-inch drop. This drop is of great util- ity: it serves as a "pull" by which the plants are brought forward, thus doing away with the old method of grasping the covers with both hands — a destructive process injuring the plants and the covers as well; it also serves an excellent purpose in affording a place to which subdivi- sional labels may be attached. As the muslin hinge is very loose the drop in no way interferes with the withdrawal of the contents of the pigeon hole next beneath. These slides are manufactured by a paper box firm and cost about twenty dollars per thousand. Herbarium Arrangement The families, the genera and the species are arranged alphabeti- cally in this herbarivmi. The alphabetic arrangement saves everyone connected with the herbarivun, or using it, much valuable time. This disposition of genera and of species is open to objection, yet in a large and rapidly growing herbariimi it has many important points in its favor — mostly, in saving time. It does away with cimibrous index cards to genera and species which, if kept up to date, require changing with •All herbarium specimens are now poisoned with corrosive sublimate which affords permanent protection. 14 Field Museum of Natural History — Technique, No. i. the issue of each new monograph; it assists materially in keeping the species in their proper position in the pigeon holes; it saves a vast amount of time in the insertion of new material, and relieves the scien- tific staff of the mechanical duty of distributing new material. In this herbarium the species under all genera are kept in individual "species covers" with the name plainly written, or hand-printed in ink at the lower left hand margin near the fold. To this the most important synonym is added when necessary for cross-reference in the genus. The species covers are of "tough check" manila, calendered to a smooth sur- face, and are of several contrasting colors to distinguish large geographic divisions. The colors used are as follows: North America — buff; Mex- ico and Central America — red; West Indies — olive; South America — salmon; Europe — green; Asia — purple; Africa — blue; Oceanica — yellow. Herbarium Rules "When consulting specimens in this herbarium, pull out the slide of the pigeon hole a few inches. On finding the species cover desired push back all the covers above it before withdrawing it. The place for its return is then plainly indicated. Should a plant be found to be wrongly determined please write your correction neatly, near the label, and append your name or initials. Do not return the sheet to the herbarium, leave it out for the Recorder to replace. Please do not write upon, or otherwise deface, the original label of any sheet. Annoting the sheet itself is, however, invited." Loans Specimens are loaned to institutions freely but only to individuals accredited b}'- institutions which will guarantee the protection of the material and insure its prompt return. When a request for a loan of specimens is received by the Director and approved by him on the recommendation of the department, the specimens are taken from the herbarium and a list of their cata- logue numbers is made, in order to identify missing specimens in case of error at the time they are returned. The list is attached to a nvmi- bered memo (fig, 7), which also bears the name of the institution or individual to whom the loan is issued, the date of forwarding and the nimiber of specimens sent. This memo is kept on file in the depart- ment. A second memo (fig. 8), bearing the same ntmiber and corre- sponding data, is prepared for the Recorder of the Museum, A permit (fig. 9) to remove the specimens from the Museum is then issued by Herbarium Organization — Millspaugh. XS Year M«mo. No. Field Museum of Natural History DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY SPECIMENS SENT TO OR RECEIVED FROM.' For Pu rpose of „ Sent by _....__i;;r;i:::„ „ Date.. Received by „ Date.. Returned by ..._ „ „ Date.. Stored In „ _ _ MEMORANDUM OF SPECIMENS r I Fig. 7 (xi) i6 Field Museum of Natural History — Technique, No. i. MEMO. No. Department Field Museum of Natural History From To Address FOR CXAMINATION, FOR DETCRMINATION. CXCHANGC From Collection of „ „.. Original Accession Niimbcr . Description of Objects: Date received .. Sijrnature.. Date forwarded. . Signature. Accession No Transportation No. Remarks. Fig. 8 (X i) Herbarium Organization — Millspaugh. 17 I i < 0^ < fa 9 !2 I ^ ■8 a. a I I I a Fig. 9 (X J) i8 Field Museum op Natural History — Technique, No. i. the Director, after which they may be dispatched. When the loan is returned, the record on these memos is completed by checking off the numbers on the department memo, and entering the date of return on both. All correspondence relating to the loan is attached to the memo sent to the office of the Museum Recorder. In the case of specimens borrowed by the department, a similar pro- cedure is followed. A letter is sent to the Director asking him to re- quest the loan. As soon as the specimens are received, two memos are made out, one for the department files, and one for the Museum Re- corder. Both state the number of specimens received, their source and the date of receipt. When study upon them is finished, a permit for their return is issued by the Director, and the memos are completed by adding the date of return. As in the case of outgoing loans, all corre- spondence pertaining to the transaction is attached to the memo sent to the Recorder's office. PRINTED BY FIELD MnSEDM PRESS