116 THE5 AMERICAN MONTHLY [June 



hereiug together but pushing outwards until some appear 

 perfectly free and independent as if they were new cells 

 just nascent into a new life. In the left center is a ter- 

 minal filament exuded with a finial globe magnified with a 

 1-lOth inch objective and ocular the same. The adjacent 

 figures were made with the l-5th inch and same ocular. 



It was impossible' to represent the extreme delicacy and 

 transparency of tiie exuded substance. We dont attempt 

 to explain this. We simply show what transpired but it 

 was unexpected to note such a kinetic forming power ex- 

 erted by alcohol. 



New York, March 12, 1899. 



Preparing, Cutting, Staining, and Mounting Sections of 

 Botanical Tissues. 



MARTIN J. COLE. 



There is no branch of Practical Microscopy more inter- 

 esting than the study of the structure of vegetable tis- 

 sues, a marvellous variety of which can always be readi- 

 ly obtained, and I now propose to show how easily such 

 spfccimens can be prepared. 



Hardening and Fixing. — The stems, roots and leaves 

 should be gathered, cut into small pieces about half-an- 

 inch long, and placed in a small bottle of methylated 

 spirit; change the spirit every day until no color comes 

 away from the tissues. They may then be cut into sec- 

 tions or kept for any length of time. 



Section Cutting. — Sections of the soft stems and roots 

 may be cut by hand with an ordinary razor. Hold the 

 specimen between the thumi) and forefinger of the left 

 hand. Keep the finger straight, so that its upper surface 

 may form a rest for the razor to slideon. Take the razor, 

 hold it firmly in the hand, and keep the handle in a line 

 with the blade, and draw it through the tissues from heel 

 to tip towards yourself. While cutting, keep the razor 



