188 BOTANICAL MICROTECHNIQUE. 



rf. F u c h s i n . 



325. The sections are first placed for 15 minutes or longer 

 in a concentrated aqueous solution of fuchsin, then covered 

 with a concentrated solution of picric acid in 2 parts water 

 and i part alcohol, in which the stain becomes dark violet, 

 then washed with 90$ alcohol as long as any color is given 

 off, then quickly rinsed in absolute alcohol, transferred to 

 xylol and finally to balsam. A very deep nuclear stain is 

 thus obtained. 



This stain may be combined with methyl bine by placing 

 the sections for about a quarter of an hour in an aqueous 

 solution of methyl blue, after washing out the picric acid 

 with alcohol. The methyl blue is then washed off and the 

 sections are mounted, as usual, in balsam. 



. Fuchsin-Methyl-green. 



326. Guignard (I, 19) recommends for nuclear staining an 

 aqueous solution of fuchsin and methyl green which con- 

 tains enough of the two dyes to make it appear deep violet. 

 The solution may be very feebly acidified with acetic acid. 

 It very quickly stains the nucleus blue-green and the proto- 

 plasm bright red. In case of overstaining, it may be washed 

 out with water. 



i. Fuchsin-Iodine-green. 



327. According to Strasburger (I, 575), a mixture of fuch- 

 sin and iodine green, proposed by Babes, is very useful for 

 vegetable objects. It is prepared by pouring a solution of 

 iodine green in 50$ alcohol into an open dish and adding 

 iuchsin, also dissolved in 50$ alcohol, until the fluid takes a 

 markedly violet color. The sections to be stained remain 

 .about a minute in this solution and are then transferred to 

 glycerine. 



c. Simultaneous Fixing and Staining, 

 a. Methyl-green-Acetic-acid. 



328. To obtain a rapid staining of the nuclei with living 

 objects, the solution of methyl green in \<f> acetic acid, re- 



