var ch <-chan []byte  // Represents some source of byte strings
tree := merkle.NewTree(sha256.New())
for str := range ch {
  tree.Add(str)
}
fmt.Printf("merkle root hash is %x\n", tree.Root())

var (
  ch       <-chan []byte  // Represents some source of byte strings
  rootHash []byte         // Represents a previously computed merkle root hash (held by someone wishing to verify that ref is in the tree)
  ref      []byte         // Represents the string to prove is a member of the tree with the given root hash
)
tree := merkle.NewProofTree(sha256.New(), ref)
for str := range ch {
  tree.Add(str)
}
proof := tree.Proof()  // This is a compact object. For verification purposes, tree can now be discarded.
// Verification:
if bytes.Equal(rootHash, proof.Hash(sha256.New(), ref)) {
  fmt.Println("Verified!")
}