(53) Studies and Illustrations of Mushrooms : II. 513 



groups of economic importance, to which belong especially the 

 edible, poisonous and parasitic fungi. 



The rules governing the club are such that they admit to 

 membership any person interested in its aims and work. No 

 other qualifications except the payment of the small annual fee 

 of twenty-five cents, are necessary, and any person sending name 

 and enclosing the fee will be placed on the membership roll. 

 This small fee is to be used in necessary expenses incurred relat- 

 ing to executive matters of the club, as determined by the 

 Executive Council. With this small fee it will not be possible 

 at present to publish a bulletin of information. It is hoped, 

 however, that it will lead eventually to some medium of com- 

 munication among members, by which a knowledge of the 

 numerous local fungus floras may be obtained, and that this 

 information as well as other matters of interest may be regularly 

 communicated to members. 



It is purposed to make the club a center to which persons inter- 

 ested in the study, and in becoming acquainted with the fungi, 

 may appeal for aid in the determination of species they collect. 

 To this end a few general directions are given here for those who 

 desire to know how to put up specimens properly for mailing, so 

 that they will not be broken or ruined in transit. 



How to Mail Fleshy Fungi. 



Fresh "mushrooms," or "toad-stools" if of medium or large 

 size, should be wrapped separately in tissue paper, or if the plants 

 grow in tufts the paper can be worked in between the individual 

 specimens unless the tuft is a compact one. A sufiicient amount 

 of paper should be used to give support to the expanded parts 

 of the plant, and so arranged that delicate structures on the sur- 

 face will not be rubbed awa3^ The plants should then be packed 

 quite firml}^ but not crushed, into a tin box, or a light but 

 strong wooden box. If they do not quite fill it more paper can 

 be added, so that they will not jostle about, or they become 

 badly broken. Pasteboard boxes are apt to become broken and 

 ruin the specimens. 



In collecting the mushrooms do not break off the stems, but 

 pry the stems out of the earth carefully in order to preserve all 



