FUXGI. 



289 



1. BLUE CHEESE-MOULD. 



2. HERB-MOULD. 



3. DUNG-MOULD. 



All magnified. 



And first we will consider that fungus of gastronomi- 

 cal celebrity, known as Blue- 

 mould in cheese (Aspergillus 

 glaucus). Rising on a crystal 

 stem formed of a single cell, 

 chains of cells radiate from 

 the summit in great numbers 

 making the plant into a minia- 

 ture standard lush. Yet to 

 the naked eve a forest of these 

 . bushes appear but as a blue stain ! Another Aspergillus grows 

 upon the plants in herbariums, but its stem is formed of 

 many cells, and the chains of the shrub are repeatedly 

 branched. Other species appear on dog and rabbit- 

 droppings, and present the same shrub-like structure. 

 Aspergillus is the name of the brush with which the 

 holy water is sprinkled in Roman Catholic churches, and 

 is hence adopted for these dainty plants. 



The Botrytis group has its infamous member, the 

 Potatoe Blight (B. infestans). The threads of the 

 mycelium enter the stems and leaves, and prevent the 

 circulation of the juices, while a villanous ally (Fusis- 

 porium solani) attacks the tuber, and spreads in even- 

 direction, consuming the grains of starch with which the 

 cells are filled, and supplying their place with their own 

 noxious 1 ranches. The Tomato is infested with the same 

 unwelcome parasite, growing from the root or spawn, 

 throwing out branches, and nourishing itself at the 

 expense of the infected plant. Another Botrytis preys 

 on fruit, and all decaying vegetable structures. One 

 species attacks the living silkworm, while the house-fly 



