166 
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT. 
Professor H. MARSHALL WARD, D.Sc. F.RS., ap 
I RAS. Cambridge. 
—_—_—_— 
Ladies and Gentlemen, 
During this, my second year of tenure of the office you 
have done me the honour to confer on me, suggestions have been 
made to the effect that some account of the methods used in 
botanical laboratories for the study of Fungi would be at least 
acceptable to amateurs, and very useful to those who concern 
themselves more closely with mycology . 
Personally, I am of the opinion that a man must make his 
methods as he proceeds, and that it very rarely happens that 
mere descriptions of the technique of others help one much; but 
although this is true of details, it would be absurd to refuse to 
admit that we can all learn something from each other in regard 
to general processes, and I need hardly say it will give me the 
greatest pleasure to comply with the request that I should put 
into a few words some descriptions of the methods employed in 
my own and similar laboratories, and that if anything said by 
me to-night should be really of use to any of you, it will add keen 
satisfaction to the pleasure. 
It is obvious that in the time at our disposal my remarks can 
amount to nothing beyond a bare outline of an immense subject, 
but, as I understand it, that is what is required—a sketch of the 
technique of modern mycology. 
Methods of killing, fixing, hardening and preserving Fungi 
are now numerous. Few fungi can be satisfactorily observed 
on mere drying, except superficially and for the comparative pur- 
pose of the systematist. For Herbarium purposes it is usual to 
dry the specimens by pressing them between paper, as with 
higher plants, and this is quite satisfactory in the case of most 
epiphytes or parasites on leaves, twigs, paper, &c., where the 
substratum can be employed, or in the case of the harder 
Polyporei, Corticium, &c. 
In the case of the larger fleshy Hymenomycetes much can be 
done by the well known spore-maps obtained by allowing the 
