BASIDIOMYCETES 



443 



and ships, where confined in a elose damp space. Later it forms the 

 cake-like fruit bodies. The Common Mushroom is an example of a 

 very common habitat of saprophytic mycelium, viz. in the sod of 

 grass-land. It is found especially where horses have been grazing 

 (Fig. 343)- But the mycelium can be bought in bricks of mush- 



W 



Fig. 343- , T v 



JisSEM SSJgSSS «»*«&fi» Sack! 



room-spawn," made up of a compost of dung, clay and loam in 

 which it can be seen as fine white threads, ether spr admg as s ng 1c 

 hyphae, or as numerous hyphae runmng parallel so as to form thicker 

 strands If the brick be broken into pieces and spread through a 

 mLr compost, and kept warm and moist in the dark the m yce ,um 

 grows ; in a few weeks it forms mushrooms of vano sue Th • hu 

 stages of development of mushrooms appear to be rap.d. This i due 

 o he fact that'the tightly packed threads that compose , , I button 

 mushroom undergo rapid extension, w.th absorption of water. (Figs. 



