COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION, ETC. 228 



One or two oblong or rectangular hand baskets, capacity from 

 8-12 quarts. 



Or a rectangular zinc case with a closely fitting top (not the 

 ordinary botanical collecting case). 



Half a dozen or so tall pasteboard boxes, or tins, 3x3, or 4x4, x5 

 inches deep, to hold certain species in an upright position. 



A quantity of tissue paper cut 8 x 10 or 6 x 8 inches. 



Smaller quantity of waxed tissue paper for wrapping viscid or 

 sticky plants. 



Trowel ; a stout knife ; memorandum pad and pencil. 



Collecting. During the proper season, and when rains are abun- 

 dant, the mushrooms are to be found in open fields, waste places, 

 groves and woods. They are usually more abundant in the forests. 

 Especially in dry weather are specimens more numerous in rather 

 damp woods, along ravines or streams. In collecting specimens 

 which grow on the ground the trowel should be used to dig up the 

 plant carefully, to be sure that no important part of the plant is left 

 in the ground. After one has become familiar with the habit of the 

 different kinds the trowel will not be necessary in all cases. For 

 example, most species of Russula, Lactarius, Tricholoma, Boletus, etc., 

 are not deeply seated in the soil, and careful hand-picking will in 

 most cases secure specimens properly, especially if one does not 

 object to digging in the soil with the fingers. But in the case of most 

 species of Amanita, certain species of Lepiota, Collybia, etc., a trowel 

 is necessary to get up the base of the plant in such a way as to pre- 

 serve essential characters. Even then it is possible, if the ground is 

 not too hard, to dig them out with the fingers, or with a stout knife, 

 but I have often found specimens which could only be taken up with 

 a trowel or spade. 



Species growing on sticks or leaves are easily collected by taking 

 a portion of the substratum on which they grow. Specimens on the 

 larger limbs or trunks or stumps can sometimes be ** picked," but 

 until one is accustomed to certain individualities of the plant it is 

 well to employ the knife and to cut off a portion of the wood if nec- 

 essary, to avoid cutting off the base of the stem. 



It is necessary also to handle the specimens with the greatest 

 care to avoid leaving finger marks where the surface of the stem or 

 cap is covered with a soft and delicate outer coat, especially if one 

 wishes to photograph the plant, since rubbed or marked places spoil 

 the plant for this purpose. Also a little careless handling will remove 

 such important characters as a frail annulus or volva, which often 

 are absolutely necessary to recognize the species. 



