Fungi: Their Nature and UsesCooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt)
Science
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses
Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt)
Fungi
The collector may be provided with an ordinary collecting box, but
for the Agarics an open shallow basket is preferable. A great number
of the woody kinds may be carried in the coat-pocket, and foliicolous
species placed between the leaves of a pocket-book. It is a good
plan to be provided with a quantity of soft bibulous paper, in
which specimens can be wrapped when collected, and this will
materially assist in their preservation when transferred to box or
basket. A large clasp-knife, a small pocket-saw, and a pocket-lens
will complete the outfit for ordinary occasions. In order to
preserve the fleshy fungi for the herbarium, there is but one
method, which has often been described. The Agaric, or other
similar fungus, is cut perpendicularly from the pileus downwards
through the stem. A second cut in the same direction removes a thin
slice, which represents a section of the fungus; this may be laid
on blotting paper, or plant-drying paper, and put under slight
pressure to dry. From one-half of the fungus the pileus is removed,
and with a sharp knife the gills and fleshy portion of the pileus
are cut away. In the same manner the inner flesh of the half stem is
also cleared. When dried, the half of the pileus is placed in its
natural position on the top of the half stem, and thus a portrait of
the growing fungus is secured, whilst the section shows the
arrangement of the hymenium and the character of the stem. The
other half of the pileus may be placed, gills downward, on a piece
of black paper, and allowed to rest there during the night. In the
morning the spores will have been thrown down upon the paper,
which may be placed with the other portions. When dry, the section,
profile, and spore paper may be mounted together on a piece of stiff
paper, and the name, locality, and date inscribed below, with any
additional particulars. It is advisable here to caution the collector
never to omit writing down these particulars at once when the
preparations are made, and to place them together, between the
folds of the drying paper, in order to prevent the possibility of a
mistake. Some small species may be dried whole or only cut down the
centre, but the spores should never be forgotten. When dried, either
before or after mounting, the specimens should be poisoned, in
order to preserve them from the attacks of insects. The best medium
for this purpose is carbolic acid, laid on with a small hog-hair
brush. Whatever substance is used, it must not be forgotten by the
manipulator that he is dealing with poison, and must exercise
caution. If the specimens are afterwards found to be insufficiently
poisoned, or that minute insects are present in the herbarium, fresh
poisoning will be necessary. Some think that benzine or spirits of
camphor is sufficient, but as either is volatile, it is not to be
trusted as a permanent preservative. Mr. English, of Epping, by an
ingenious method of his own, preserves a great number of the fleshy
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