IG2 



BOTANY 



Spore print. 



of the cap. These are the gills, 

 gills downward on the surface of 

 disturb for at least twelve hours, 

 it will be found that when the cap 

 is removed a print of the shape 

 and size of the gills remains on 

 the paper. This is a spore print. 

 It has been caused by the spores 

 of the plant, which have fallen 

 from the place where they were 

 formed between the gills to the 

 surface of the paper. 



Mycelium. — The mushroom 

 is, then, the spore-bearing part 

 of the plant. Where is the plant 

 body? This question is an- 

 swered if we dig up a little of 

 the earth surrounding a mush- 

 room. In the rich black soil is 

 seen a mass of little whitish 

 threads. These threads form the 

 mycelium of the fungus. The 

 hyphae of this part of the plant 

 body take food from the organic 

 matter in the soil and digest 



protoplasm or used to 

 produce energy. This 

 seems to be the usual 

 method by which sapro- 

 phytes assimilate the 

 materials on which they 

 live. 



Other Saprophytic 

 Fungi. — The mushroom re- 

 sembles a tiny umbrella. The 

 upper part is known to bot- 

 anists as the cap; the cap is 

 held up by a stalk or stipe. 

 The under surface of the cap 

 discloses a number of struc- 

 tures which radiate out from 

 the central stipe to the edge 

 If you place the cap of a mushroom 

 a piece of white paper, being careful not to 



Mushrooms: the younger specimen, at the right, 

 shows the mycehum. Photographed by Overton 



