Influence of Mushrooms on Growth of Some Plants. 317 



there was any difference between the nutrient value of the un fermented 

 material it was in favor of the infusion with the fine solid particles included. 

 The cultures were started April 25th. On June 15th all of the plants 

 whether in un fermented or previously fermented material had the same 

 number of leaves, viz., seven including the cotyledons, while some of those 

 in the unfermented material were larger and the plants were taller. 

 ( The plants in the normal solution had seven leaves while those in dis- 

 tilled water had four.) The plants in the fermented material were, how- 

 ever, healthier, the leaves of those grown in the unfermented material 

 showing a slight chlorotic condition between the veins due probably to a 

 slight toxic influence of certain of the salts like sulphuric acid which are 

 abundant in the common mushroom and thus out of proportion to other 

 constituents as compared with a normal solution. 



These pure cultures show that for the radish and cabbage there is 

 plant food for autotrophs in an unfermented infusion of the common 

 mushroom, for they grow to a larger size here than in distilled water. 

 The unfermented mushroom, however, does not oft'er so good a nutrient 

 as the products of fermentation do, and this is not surprising although it 

 is a little surprising that the unfermented mushroom can serve as a 

 nutrient for autotrophic green plants. Mendel* (p. 227) has shown, 

 however, that a considerable part of the nitrogen in mushrooms probably 

 exists as non-proteid nitrogen, some in the form of cellulose nitrogen and 

 some in a form which can be extracted with alcohol ("extractive nitro- 

 gen"). The former probably becomes available in the fermented mush- 

 room while the latter probably is directly available in the infusions of 

 the unfermented mushroom. Another interesting fact is that while in 

 the uiifermented mushroom as well as in the products of fermentation 

 there are nutrient substances for autotrophs, it either does not form 

 a perfect plant food, or there are certain slightly poisonous substances 

 both in the unfermented and fermented mushrooms. This seems to be 

 manifested in a more or less chlorotic condition of most of the plants fed 

 on these substances. That it is not due to the lack of iron is shown first 

 by the fact that the check plants grown in distilled water had not so 

 long as the experiment continued shown any signs of chlorosis, and 

 second by the fact that a chemical analysis of the common mushroom 

 (Agaricus campestris) shows the presence of iron. Analysis also shows 

 that all of the substances required in a normal solution for autotrophs 

 are present in the common mushroom, f as nitrogen, potassium, sodium, 

 calcium, magnesium, iron, chlorine, phosphoric and sulphuric acids. 



*The chemical composition and nutritive value of some edible American fungi, 

 Am. Jour. Phys., i, 225-238, 1898. 

 tZopf. Die Pilze, 117, 1890. 



