14 Guide to the Mushrooms 



ter of fact the growth of a mushroom is as 

 slow as the majority of plants; the final 

 blossom, if we may so term the cap, ap- 

 pears no more quickly than does the blos- 

 som of the buttercup and countless other 

 flowers. 



If the g-round about a mushroom be ex- 

 amined, tiny white threads or roots called 

 the mycelium are seen spreading in all di- 

 rections. This is the mushroom spawn of 

 the gardeners. During the development of 

 the root, the cell-like structures, of which 

 it is composed, gather together at intervals 

 and form tiny knobs, which in turn grow 

 gradually, all the time pushing upward to- 

 ward the light. The knob is now somewhat 

 egg-shaped and soon emerges from the 

 ground, and is then called the ''button 

 stage. ' ' The little button develops rapidly, 

 spreading out into a flat cap or parasol. 



