¥ 4 4 F 
78 THIRTY-EIGHTH REPORT ON THE STATE MUSEUM. 
flora were commenced in the thirty-third report and continued in sub-: 
sequent ones. For the present report a monograph has been prepared 
of our species of Lactarius, or milky-juice fungi, and also one-of the 
genus (subgenus of Fries) Pluteus, 
The genus Lactarius is a large one, at present represeued in our 
State by forty species. Some of these rank as edible, others as poison- 
ous. While the genus as such is easily recognized and accurately sepa- 
rated fronvall other genera, some of the species that compose it approach 
each other so closely and vary so considerably that without clear and 
explicit descriptions they are hable to be confused and their discrimi- 
nation unsatisfactory. In this monograph it has been the design to make 
the specific descriptions so complete and at the same time to give such 
prominence to the distinguishing characters, that no difficulty need be 
experienced in the identification of our species. The spore characters 
are also given, a part of the description that is sometimes of great im- 
portance, and yet one that has generally been omitted by authors. A 
synoptical table has been prepared, by means of which, with good fresh 
specimens, it 1s believed, the name of any species described in the 
monograph may be easily and quickly ascertained. These monographs 
constitute a part of the report marked E. The revision of our specimens 
of Sphzriaceous fungi, which was commenced last year, has been con- 
tinued and completed. This revision, as was explained in my preceding 
report, was necessary in order to bring the arrangement and nomencla- 
ture of our species into harmony with the recent Saccardoan system, 
which, from present indications, is destined to supersede the old Friesian 
system. 
It is desirable, not only that our Agarics and other fleshy Hymeno- © 
mycetous fungi, which so generally shrivel and change color in drying, 
should be illustrated by sketches of the fresh plant colored according to 
nature, but also that magnified drawings of the microscopic characters 
of the smaller and minute fungi should be made and accompany the 
specimens in the Herbarium. A considerable number of such sketches 
were made the past season, at the time the specimens were collected. 
From these I have prepared three plates of figures designed to illustrate, 
as far as possible, the characters of the new species described in the 
following pages 
Thanks are hereby rendered to those botanists who have kindly aided 
me in the prosecution of my labors, both by the contribution of speci- 
mens and of information. 
Most respectfully submitted, 
CHAS. H. PRECK 
Axpany, December 31, 1884. 
