2372 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



paper. Several hours may be needed in the process if the specimens are 

 large. 



Gill-fungi should have notes in regard to a number of features which other- 

 wise would be lost by decaying, such as : 



1. Color of spores (obtained by cutting off the cap of a specimen and 

 placing it, gills down, on a piece of paper and covering with a tumbler 

 or bell-jar for a few hours. A deposit of the spores will then be found 

 and if placed on gummed paper this " spore print" will be quite per- 

 manent). 



2. Cap or pileus — dry, moist, viscid ? 

 Smooth, scaly, shining, striate ? 

 Color, size, shape. 



3. Gills — color when young and when mature ? 

 Crowded or far apart ? Narrow or wide ? 

 How attached to the stem ? 



4. Stem — fleshy or tough ? 



Solid, with a soft pith, or hollow ? 

 Size and shape ? Color ? 



5. Ring and volva (a cup-like sheath at base of stem) if present ? 



A pencil sketch of the fresh plant is also useful, especially one showing a 

 lengthwise section of an entire specimen. This will show the shape of cap, 

 width and attachment of gills, and length and other characters of the stem. 



Puff-balls are usually identified from the mature, dry plant. The club-fungi 

 should also be accompanied with notes as to color of fresh plant and spores. 

 The latter may be obtained by covering a plant with a tumbler on a piece of 

 white paper for several hours. The pore-fungi, especially the hard, woody 

 kinds, may be dried at once and identified later. 



In sending specimens of the more perishable fleshy fungi for identification, 

 fresh material is always best. Pack the specimens carefully in cotton or slightly 

 moistened sphagnum moss in a stout pasteboard or light wooden box for sending 

 by mail. Do not use tin boxes for fresh specimens, as they decay very quickly 

 under such circumstances. Dried specimens should be pressed out, slightly, and 

 placed in paper folders with the label. Dry puff-balls should be preserved in 

 paper boxes and not pressed. Never press any specimen of fungus perfectly 

 flat, use only enough pressure to straighten them out. 



For exhibition nothing can excel fresh specimens of the fleshy kinds of fungi, 

 although puff-balls and the woody kinds dry well and can be used in this condi- 

 tion. The soft kinds, if to be kept for permanent specimens, may be preserved in 

 a mixture of alcohol 1 part, water 2 parts. This, however, is an expensive way 

 of keeping specimens. A mixture of formalin 1 part and water 10-20 parts will 

 preserve the firmer kinds of fleshy fungi fairly well, but does not succeed 

 with the softer ones. Many of the drier kinds of umbrella-shaped fungi may 

 also be dried and exhibited in paper trays or mounted on sheets of heavy white 

 paper by means of narrow strips of gummed paper. They should be accompa- 

 nied with a spore print and drawings of the fresh plant when possible. Many 

 kinds furnish excellent subjects for water color drawings and photographs. 



