Influence of Mushrooms on Growth of Some Plants. 315 



in a moist room of the green house since there would be less danger of 

 contamination than in a dry room of the laboratory. 



Nearly all of the cultures remained pure, that is, 

 there were very few in which moulds or bacteria 

 entered at the time of transplanting the seed. The 

 growth was fair in all the media. It was the best 

 in the nutrient solution, the poorest in distilled 

 water, in the fermented mushroom slightly better 

 than in the un fermented mushroom, whether in the 

 infusion alone or in infusion with fine solid matter. 

 In the two latter the growth was about equal. There 

 was a tendency to a chlorotic condition in the leaves 

 of the plants grown in the unfermented mushroom, 

 giving the leaves a somewhat mottled appearance. 

 This was more striking in some than in others. In 

 some cases all of the leaf was whitish except along 

 the principal veins where it remained green. In 

 forty da3's those in nutrient solution were eleven 

 cm. high, those in the stronger fermented medium 

 nine cm. high, those in the stronger powdered un- 

 fermented medium four to nine cm. high, those in 

 the weaker powdered, unfermented medium four 

 to five cm. high, those in the weaker fermented 

 medium five cm. high. In the weaker fermented 

 medium there was a tendency to the chlorotic con- 

 dition, and a few plants in the stronger fermented 

 medium also showed a slight chlorosis. Those grown 

 in distilled water were three to four cm. hi^h. 



The plants were photographed on May 17, 1906, 

 as follows : one in distilled water, one in the 

 stronger powdered unfermented medium, one in the 

 stronger unfermented infusion, one in the stronger 

 fermented medium, one in the nutrient solution. 

 These plants had developed the following number 



of leaves besides the cotyledons : in distilled water, four leaves with one 

 young one ; in the stronger powdered unfermented medium, five leaves 

 and one medium young ; in the stronger fermented mushroom, four leaves, 

 one very young ; in nutrient solution, six leaves, one medium young. 



In general there was a good development of the root system, ex- 

 tending well into the medium, but in the great majority of cases with 

 mushroom as nutrient food there was quite a profuse development of 



Fig. 125. — Test tubes 

 shoivin^ pure culture 

 of seedlings ready to 

 transplant. 



