28o 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Breckinridge Chapter, Louisville Nor- 

 mal School, Louisville, Kentucky. 



Officers: President, Esther Wallner; 

 Vice-President, Miriam Laub ; Re- 

 cording Secretary, Kate Bodine Stone ; 

 Corresponding Secretary, Celeste 

 Dempf; Treasurer, Louise Paslick. 

 Number of members, forty. 



The Breckinridge Chapter has been 

 organized as a result of Dr. Bigelow's 

 delightful visit to the Normal School 

 of Louisville, and we hope to do good 

 work as members of the Association 

 who have received special inspiration 

 from his talks to us. 



Celeste Dempf. 



Microscopical Queries and Sug- 

 gestions. 



Chicago, Illinois. 

 To the Editor: — 



I often wish that one had some way 

 to find out "spots" of interest when 

 near strange towns or co-workers in 

 one's own subjects. Many valuable 

 moments have been lost in huntingup 

 localities when waiting over for trains, 

 and in other necessary "killing of 

 time." And perhaps TiiE Guide to 

 Nature could answer some of the 

 queries put to us in mounting and 

 other microscopical work. Here are 

 a few : 



i. What are the best ways of 

 mounting pollen, and is it ad- 

 visable to stain the grains? 



2. How can pine pollen be put up to 



(i) avoid air in cell and (2) 

 differentiate structure in that 

 of the various species of pine? 



3. Is there a method of treating 



fossil diatoms with peroxide 

 of hydrogen instead of acids? 

 I am told that such a method 

 has been published but cannot 

 trace it. 



4. Why are scalariform tubes put 



in the special arrangement ob- 

 servable in microscopical sec- 

 tions of the stems of the fern 

 Pteris? 

 Such as these and many of them 

 come our way. It is a pity that your 

 journal has no special department in 

 which such queries and answers might 

 be published. 



Yours truly, 



V. A. Latham. 



Here is another good suggestion for 

 our members and friends. This maga- 

 zine is for just such work — to give 

 guidance to all phases of nature. The 

 entire contents are a "department" of 

 nature for all sorts of inquiries — a 

 Clearing House of information. But 

 do not leave it all to the editor ! — Ed. 



Fine Microscopical Slides. 



Inquiries have frequently come to 

 this office regarding the mounting of 

 microscopical slides and also where 

 those made by experts may be bought. 

 The best slides that have reached us 

 are from Powers & Powers, Station A, 

 Lincoln, Nebraska. These slides are 

 of the smallest aquatic forms. The 

 technique is perfect, the finest mount- 

 ing being with such things as Para- 

 maecium, Cyclops and Daphnia. 



For larger microscopical specimens 

 the best that we have seen come from 

 J. B. Howard, 45, Frenchgate, Rich- 

 mond, Yorks, England. He is indeed 

 rightly entitled to be described as an 

 "Expert in Microscopy." Some of his 

 specimens have delighted students and 

 visitors at ArcAdua when these slides 

 have been exhibited by the projection 

 microscope. They also make good 

 photo-micrographs. Some of these 

 will later be shown in The Guide to- 

 Nature. 



Some of our old-time microscopists 

 lament that microscopy as a popular 

 recreation is a thing of the past, but 

 it is pleasing to learn that slides of the 

 old-time excellence may still be ob- 

 tained and that any one who desires 

 to use the microscope as an intellec- 

 tual recreation may obtain either slides 

 or lessons in micro-mounting. Corre- 

 spond with Mr. Howard who is a mas- 

 ter in his line. 



E. R. Darling, in the American 

 Journal of Science for September, 

 "gives a new method for cleanings 

 diatoms. The details are too complex 

 to be quoted in full, but the device in- 

 volves boilings in strong hydrochloric 

 and nitric acids, dilute sulphuric acid, 

 and a solution of potassium chlorate 

 with a thorough washing on filter 

 paper after each. The result is a per- 

 fectly clean shell, free from all organic 

 matter or foreign substance. 



