July, l'J(16.] 



Mycologiciil Bulletin Nos. 61 and 62 



245 



the woods will reveal the fact that certain ones are serious enemies of tim- 

 ber trees and timber. It is quite easy in many cases for one possessing no 

 technical knowledge of the subject to read the story of these "wood de- 

 stroying" fungi in the living tree. Branches broken by snow, by wind, or 

 by falling timber provide ertrance areas where the spores, lodging on the 

 heart wood of broken timber, or on a bruise on the side of the trunk which 

 has broken through the living part of the tree lying just beneath the bark, 

 provide a point for entrance. The living substance (protoplasm) in the 

 spawn exudes a "juice" (cncynic) which dissolves an opening in the 

 wood cells and permits the spawn to enter the heart of the tree, where decay 

 rapidly proceeds as a result. But very few of these plants can enter the tree 

 when the living part underneath the bark is unbroken. 



These observations suggest useful topics for thought. They suggest 

 practical methods of prevention, careful forestry treatment and careful 

 lumbering to protect the young growth when timber trees are felled. They 

 suggest careful pruning of fruit and shade trees, by cutting limbs smooth 

 and close to the trurk, and then painting the smooth surface with some 

 lead paint. — Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc. 



I'ig. ]!),'. Magnifilu figurt-s (f putii-ns iJ tlic Lcafniildcw Fungus tlip.t causi-s (i-i 

 conjunction with a mite) the Ilranch-kncts or distortions on llackbcrry 

 tries, simiJar to VVitches'-brooms, tlie latter shown in Figs. 11)3 and 19 1. 

 Minute spores are slicwn at 1 and 2 which are produced early in the sea- 

 son, and later minute, scarcely visible, black spore-ci-.scs (shown at 3 and 

 4) are formed; these contain sacs (asci) of spores — eight in each sac or 

 ascus (shown at 5) : spores escaped from the ascus aic shown (at 0). The 

 botanical name of this microscopic fungus is Sphac-yo-flic'ca pliy-top- 

 topli'-i-la. 



