[buller] presidential ADDRESS 19 



From the twentieth of August to the fourth of Setpember, there were 

 several wet days, so, on the twentieth of September, I went to Mount 

 OHvet and on the following day to the Boboli gardens to see whether 

 I could find anything in particular on the heaps of leaves. In the 

 Boboli gardens on some of the heaps which had been noted, and es- 

 pecially on those consisting of the leaves of the Ilex and Laurus, I 

 saw that many of the seeds had increased to the size of a grain of 

 Millet, and their margin went off into very white and thin down, and 

 all were producing capillary and somewhat hairy roots, whence I 

 conjectured that the fungus had already begun to grow. That the 

 fact was really so, I found out after a few days when, in some of the 

 heaps, I saw pilei beginning to break out from the down, and in 

 others the whole form of the fungus plainly showing itself.^ On the 

 eighth of October, I visited the same places, not only for the sake of 

 noting the progress of the fungi which had come into existence, but also 

 of understanding, if it were possible, for what reason none had yet 

 been observed growing on the other heaps. Not being able to see the 

 reason easily, I therefore returned frequently to watch the progress of 

 those which had arisen, observing them only with the eyes and not 

 touching them at all by hand. And so toward the end of October, and 

 after several days alternately fine and wet, they had at length become 

 bigger, and projecting above the leaves were several of the fungi which 

 had been produced from the seeds scattered through the heaps. I 

 repeated these observations several times at the beginning of summer 

 and also in autumn; but since the growth of the seeds generally de- 

 pends on the chance weather of nature, i.e., on the alternation of fine 

 and wet days which does not always happen opportunely, I have ob- 

 served almost innumerable cases where it befell that the fungi did not 

 grow, or their formation was hastened or delayed, or they were brought 

 forth in greater or less abundance. Hence it follows that on sowing the 

 seeds, it is very difficult to determine anything with certainty, especial- 

 ly since I have not yet examined everything in detail ; but in the mean- 

 while, it is sufficient for me that I have sown the seeds and have seen 

 fungi arise from them. If anyone, however, desires a sure method of 

 cultivating fungi in order to get profit from them, I am of the opinion 

 that he should employ only that method which gardeners use, namely, 

 oblong heaps of dung which by them are called by the French name of 

 Couches. From these they raise meadow fungi, and indeed from the 

 seed and not from the heating dung as they think. This seed is 

 naturally mixed with the dung itself or with the earth or things of that 

 kind which serve for the composition of the oblong heaps. The man- 

 ner of preparing these heaps is shown by Quintinaeus in his book, 



1 Cf. PI. 1, Figs. D and E. 



