302 AGARICUS. 



this distance. Cut across the stalk, just below the cap, 

 and lay the cap with the gills downwards on a sheet of 

 white paper. After a few hours, note that the spores fall 

 out in the usual way and collect in ridge-like heaps, form- 

 ing lines corresponding to the gills. If the paper has 

 been moistened with diluted gum, the " spore print " thus 

 obtained can be kept as a permanent specimen. Coprinus 

 gives very neat spore-prints ; other toadstools should also 

 be tried. 



435. Structure of Gouidiophore. It is difficult to 

 cut good sections from fresh material. Harden mush- 

 rooms, both young and mature, by placing them cutting 

 both the stalk and the cap into pieces in 1 per cent, 

 chromic acid for a day, rinsing with water, and placing 

 them successively (for a day in each case) in 50 per cent., 

 70 per cent., and strong alcohol. This treatment will make 

 the tissues firm and easy to section. 



In transverse and longitudinal sections of the stalk, 

 mounted in glycerine, note (1) the whole tissue consists 

 of long branching septate hyphae, closely interwoven; 



(2) the central hyphae are relatively narrow and loosely 

 arranged, the peripheral hyphae thick and closely packed. 



In a tangential vertical section of the cap (Fig. 63), 

 cutting the gills at right angles, note that (1) the tissue 

 of the cap itself resembles that of the stalk ; (2) the looser 

 central tissue passes down into the middle of each gill ; 



(3) this central tissue (" trama ") of the gill consists of 

 hyphae which run longitudinally downwards, and curve 

 outwards to form (4) the sub-hymeuial layer of short 

 closely-packed cells and, beyond this layer, (5) the 

 palisade-like hynieninm, consisting of elongated club- 

 shaped and closely packed cells of two kinds viz. (6) 

 the more slender paraphyses with rounded ends, and 

 (7) the stouter and longer basidia (8) each basidium 

 bears on its free end two small peg-like outgrowths, 

 sterigmata, each sterigma budding off a single basi- 

 diospore. Each basidium is exhausted after producing 

 its two spores, and it develops no more ; the bare sterig- 

 mata can be seen after the spores have fallen off. 



