The book contains numbered sessions of creating microscope slides. The plant subject is listed along with the process used to create the slides and, in many cases, the slides' recipients. According to RBGE microscopist F. Christie, looking at the notes it appears to be plant fixation and histology prior to the preparation of microscope slides for light microscopy. Each part of the plant would need to be treated differently according to how easy it was to slice. The notes refer to the whole process of preparing the slides so for example, some of the samples didn’t cut very well first time but when soaked overnight produced better sections. This information would have saved a lot of experimentation in the future if the process was to be repeated.
The book was thought to By Matthew Young Orr's but his dates at RBGE do not match up with the dates of staff receiving the slides: John Anthony, Jimmy Keenan, Mr Roberts, Dr Blyth, Douglas Henderson, John Macqueen Cowan, Mr Lyle, P. Davies (Peter Davis?), Alexander Nelson, Dr Burns, Mr Green (Peter Green?), B.L. Burtt and Andrew Grierson. The book may have been created by Orr? But perhaps more likey Heather Prentice, Ella Stott, Willie Dickson or Archie McLeod?
The book was an unused 1941 diary.
