LONGYEAR ON SAPROPHYTIC FUNGI. 97 



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Squirrels dropping cones from trees and biting off limbs. 



Exhibition and description of an artificial cell to show turgescence. 



Report regarding the abundance of variegated corn in the field. 



The life history of Monilia — plum rot. 



An exhibit of chess which had germinated on ice. 



An account of cutting wild rice, rafting down the river aiui curing for 

 hay in '95. 



Report concerning a visit to the U. S. Department of Agriculture and 

 the M. A. C. men there employed. 



The management of the woodlands of the college farm. 



The structure and history of the Navel orange. 



Fairy rings on our lawns (Marasmius). 



A meeting in the evening at the botanic garden to observe the opening 

 of flowers of the evening primrose and to see insects at work on various 

 flowers. 



The crossing of pop corn and field corn. 



Life history of rust on wheat and barberry. 



The seeds of weeds. 



I hardly need to add that any botanical club or natural history club 

 will make slow progress and work to very great disadvantage unless one 

 or more of the members possesses already a very good knowledge of one 

 or more divisions of natural science. If possible, such members will be 

 of more aid in securing interest than a library. 



REMARKS CONCERNING THE SAPROPHYTIC FUNGI GROWN IN 

 THE VICINITY OF THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



BY B. O. LONGYEAR, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



(Read before the Academy, April 1, 1S97, and printed in part in Rep. State Board of 



Agriculture for 1S97, p. 4S.) 



The study of the saprophytic fungus flora in the vicinity of the Agri- 

 cultural College was begun in the spring of 1896. first in a rather desul- 

 tory manner by collecting at random all sorts that were encountered in 

 the brief trips to nearby woods and fields. The specimens, at first, were 

 merely dried and stowed away in boxes with some record of locality and 

 date of collection and left until a more convenient time for study and 

 identification. "It was soon found necessary, however, to observe the 

 color of the spores of the Agaricinea?, and this is best done while the 

 specimens are yet fresh. We have succeeded in securing good spore- 

 prints in the usual manner by carefully removing the pileus and placing 

 it gills down on a piece -of gummed paper and covering the whole with a 

 bell jar. The process usually requires from twelve to twenty-four hours. 

 White paper is used for all specimens having colored spores, and black 

 paper for those having white or colorless spores. The moisture of the 

 fungus is usually sufficient to soften the gum on the paper so that the 

 spores are held when dry. The spore prints are also accompanied with 

 drawings of a vertical section of the fungus, thereby showing the width 

 of the gills and their relation to the stipe, besides other features of the 

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