212 



THE FLORAL WORLD AXD GARDEN aUIDE. 



and size somewhat resembling potatoes, 

 of a dark colour, with an irregular, 

 ■warty surface, they may be collected 

 in a bag, basket, or whatever is most con- 

 venient. Having now collected and con- 

 veyed home our specimens, our next aim 

 is either to preserve or prepare them for 

 the table. Of course, I now allude to the 

 thirty species which, with proper treat- 

 ment, are known to be wholesome, and 

 which are natives of our land and com- 

 paratively common. 



Salting and Ticldinc). — They may be 

 preserved in a variety of ways for the 

 table, the most usual being dried in the 

 open air strung on strings, or preserved 

 iu oil, vinegar, or brine. Agaricus proce- 

 rus. Boletus edulis, and Tuber ciberium 

 may be even prefen-ed raw ; while others, 

 as the helvellas, having somewhat the cou- 

 sistence of leather, are decidedly injproved 

 by cooking. There can be little doubt we 

 have poisonous species, as Boletus luridus, 

 Agaricus muscarious, etc. ; care should, 

 therefore, be taken in collecting, and all 

 brine, vinegar, or oil in which they have 

 been preserved should be thrown away, as 

 it is supposed that the poison is extracted 

 by the liquor in which they have been 

 preserved, while the fungus, even in 

 poisonous species, becomes a wholesome 

 food. 



Preservation of Fungi in JLiquids. — 

 The higher orders of fungi rarely appear 

 in the herbarium, from the erroneous im- 

 pression that it IS impossible to dry them. 

 It is quite true that many are of so deli- 

 cate, Iragile, and watery a nature, that it 

 is quite impossible to dry and press tliem ; 

 for these there is but one simple process, 

 that of immersing them in bottles of a 

 solution prepared lor that purpose. There 

 are many of these solutions in use for 

 botanical, zoological, and anatomical pur- 

 poses, but only one or two I find can be 

 even moderately depended upon. Most 

 spirits defy nearly all eflorts to prevent 

 evaporation, and they extract and destroy 

 the colour of the plants, by which they 

 lose their transpai'uncy. On the other 

 hand, most solutions, from a combination 

 of chemical salts, become opaque, and 

 form a crystalline deposit round the mouth 

 of the jar, which, from contact with the 

 air, gradually feeds upon the covering oi 

 the vessel; nor are acids always to be de- 

 pended upon, extracting the colour and 

 more or less destroying the most delicate 

 and deliquescent species, especially if ex- 

 posed to agitation. Where expense is not 

 studied, one evil is, to a certain extent, 

 remedied by throwing away the solution 



in wliich they have been preserved for 

 about a month, and which by that time 

 has extracted the colour, then replace it 

 with fresh, and there is not that danger of 

 the liquid being discoloured. A few will 

 be found of such a solid and dry nature 

 as to require no drying, and must be kept 

 in a cabinet, or drawers, as tliey will not 

 flatten by pressure. We now come to a 

 large bulk of the higher orders, which, 

 although it is not absolutely necessary to 

 keep them in solution, it is looked upon 

 as a laborioiis and difficult task to dry and 

 press them, and when done, the sections, 

 etc., usually taken are but a Immble apo- 

 logy for tlie whole plant. For these I 

 can recommend the following methods as 

 far superior to those in general use : — 



Drying Fungi for the lEerhariirnt. — 

 Procure a wire cage, such as is used by 

 rat-catchers, about twenty-four inches 

 long, twelve wide, and twelve deep, with a 

 shelf of the same material in the centre, 

 or of smaller dimensions, according to the 

 requirements of the collector. Let the 

 wire be sufficiently close to keep out the 

 ordinary flies, but no smaller, as we re- 

 quire a free ventilation ; should the flies 

 still get, in, cover with a net sufficiently 

 fine to exclude intruders. Arrange the 

 fungi in rows with stems downwai'ds, 

 resting on strings crossing from side to 

 side, and each Iree from its neighbour. 

 Let this cage be susjiended in the air if 

 possible, as from a clothes' line, and iu a 

 draughty situation, as a passage between 

 two houses ; a cool, shady spot being pre- 

 ferable, as it is the air, and not heat, which 

 we wish to dry them. The surface of the 

 fungi may be also pricked freely with a 

 darning needle. As soon as they com- 

 mence shrivelling, or show symptoms of 

 drying, remove them from the cage, bend 

 down the stalk in the direction of the 

 pileus, or cap, and gently press them for 

 twelve hours ; remove them from the 

 press, and again lay them flat in the cage, 

 and expose them to the air till they appear 

 sufficiently dry to bear further pressure. 

 Again remove them, and lay them be- 

 tween flannel three or four times double ; 

 ou this put a thin layer of cotton wadding, 

 another layer of flannel, then a fresh layer 

 of fungi, and repeat the layers of flannel 

 and wadding as long as you have speci- 

 mens. Put them in a box of suitable 

 size, and subject them to pressure by 

 placing a sheet of paper over the whole, 

 and spreading sand lightly over the sur- 

 face till the whole is covered about an inch 

 and a-half deep. Leave them for about 

 two days, then remove them, and press 



