]]> Place a small piece of tape at one end of the slide Label the tape with the name of the bacterium Draw a circle about the size if a 25 centavo on the bottom of the microscope slide Place the entire wire portion of the inoculating loop into the opening of the microincinerator Wait 10 seconds Remove the inoculation loop from the microincinerator Allow the loop to cool 10-20 seconds Pickup the tube containing the culture Hold the culture tube in one hand and in your other hand, hold the sterilized inoculating loop as if it were a pencil Remove the cap of the pure culture tube with the little finger of your loop hand Place the lip of the culture tube at the opening of the microincinerator for 2-3 seconds Insert the inoculating loop and remove a loopful of inoculum Replace the cap of the culture tube Place 1 loop of the culture within the circle on the top of the slide With the loop, spread the suspension over the area delineated by the circle to form a thin film Allow the thin suspension to completely air dry Pick up the agar plate containing the culture Use a book of blotting paper to blot the slide dry Pick up the air-dried slide with clothespin Hold the bottom of the slide opposite the smear against the opening of the microincinerator Add several drops of 95% methanol to the air-dried smear of bacteria Wait 2 minutes Pick up the slide and allow the excess methanol to drain off