At first one is apt to think that only eastern travellers can obtain the requisite leaves, but a little reading and Bible study will convince us that very many Scripture trees and plants are quite common and easily obtainable by anyone living in the country. I subjoin a list with which we may begin our book.
Almond (Eccles. xii. 5); apple (Cant. ii. 3); ash (Is. xliv. 14); barley (Ruth i. 22); bay-tree (Ps. xxxvii. 35); box-tree (Is. xli. 19); bramble (Jud. ix. 14); briar (Mic. vii. 4); chestnut (Gen. xxx. 37); corn (Num. xviii. 27); elm (Hos. iv. 13); fig-tree (Hab. iii. 17); flax (Ex. ix. 31); hazel (Gen. xxx. 37); heath (Jer. xvii. 6); mint (St. Luke xi. 42); mulberry (2 Sam. v. 24); mustard (St. Luke xvii. 6); myrtle (Is. lv. 13); nettle (Is. xxxiv. 13); oak (Gen. xxxv. 8); poplar (Gen. xxx. 37); rose (Is. xxxv. 1); rue (St. Luke xi. 42); thistle (Hos. x. 8); vine (Ps. lxxx. 8); wheat (Ex. ix. 32); willow (Lev. xxiii. 40).
A perfect leaf or spray of each tree should be laid between sheets of blotting-paper under a heavy weight, the paper being dried daily till the specimen is fit for insertion in the book.
The album may be of any shape we please, but about twelve inches by ten is a convenient size and shape for the purpose.
When the leaf is fixed upon the page the Latin and English name should be written beneath it and the Bible texts in which the tree is mentioned.
I find strips of gummed paper hold the leaves most securely, and instead of using stamp paper, which is too thin for the purpose, I cover a sheet of notepaper with thick gum and allow it to become quite dry; it is then ready for use and affords a large supply of tiny strips.
Besides the texts I like to add all I can learn as to the history and uses of the various trees and plants.
Here, for instance, is what I have said about the myrtle.
“A plant originally brought from Western Asia but found wild as far as Afghanistan.
“Among the ancients the myrtle was sacred to Venus; wreaths of it were worn by the victors in the Olympic Games and by Athenian magistrates. It was used in medicine, in cookery, and by the Tuscans in the preparation of myrtle wine, called Myrtidanum, for which purpose it is still employed. It is, however, chiefly used in perfumery, and a highly-scented astringent water called Eau d’Ange is distilled from its flowers. The berries have a sweetish, powerfully aromatic taste, and are eaten in a fresh state or dried as a condiment.