728 ADDITIONAL EXERCISES 



and with several movable shelves of perforated tin, or of wire netting; a vent at the 

 top and "perforations around the sides at the bottom to admit air. The object of 

 such an oven is to provide for a constant current of air from below upward between 

 the specimens. This may be heated, if not too large, with a lamp, though an oil 

 stove, gas jet, or heater, is better. The specimens are placed on the shelves 

 with the accompanying notes or numbers. 



2. An old cook stove can be used with wire screens 3 by 4 feet, one above the other, 

 placed over it. Large numbers of fleshy toadstools can be dried on such frames. 

 A more approved drying oven would be the revolving gas oven manufactured by 

 G. S. Blodgett, Burlington, Vermont. 



"When the plants are dried, they become brittle but if exposed to the air a good 

 many kinds absorb moisture from the air so that they become pliant and can be 

 pressed flat, so as not to crush the gills and placed in paper envelopes for mounting 

 on the herbarium sheets. 



When placed in herbarium they should be poisoned with a saturated solution of 

 alcohol and corrosive sublimate to which a spoonful of liquid carbolic acid is added. 

 They should then be air-dried. 



Some of the specimens when there are a number of duplicates can be placed in 

 museum jars in 75 per cent, alcohol. 



A solution of strychnine can be used for poisoning fleshy fungi. 



Sulfate of strychnine, 3^8 ounce. 

 Warm water, 4 or 5 ounces. 



Alcohol, 2 ounces. 



Paper for Spore Prints. — For the identification of many species of fleshy fungi 

 it is necessary to make spore prints. This is best done by breaking off the stipe, if 

 present, close to the under surface of the cap, or pileus, and then placing the cap 

 gills down on black and white paper placed side by side. Half of the gill surface 

 should rest on the black paper and half on the white paper, so that if the spores are 

 white, they will make an impression on the black paper, and if dark-colored, they 

 will leave an imprint on the white paper. 



In all cases where a spore print is made the plant should be covered with a bell 

 glass to exclude currents of air. Such unprepared paper will save time in the 

 identification. Where, however, it is desired to obtain fancy spore prints, perfect 

 caps must be cut from the stipe and placed gill downward on paper prepared with 

 some gum arable, or similar adhesive substance, while the paper is still moist with 

 the fixative, so as to glue the spores as they fall to the surface of the paper. The 

 specimens should then be covered by a bell jar as previously directed. 



Good spore prints, thus obtained, can be used for class demonstrations by mount- 

 ing between a piece of heavy photographic cardboard and a piece of glass. It is 

 easy to passepartout the glass and the paper as a museum specimen. 



Blank for Nole-taking. 



No. Locality 



Date ■ '■ Name of collector — 



Weather 



