EXERCISE 87 

 A MUSHROOM 



Materials. Any common mushroom (or toadstool) will answer. 

 If no other material is available, the common field mushroom 

 (Agaricus) may commonly be purchased in the market, either fresh 

 or canned, but, if possible, the study should be made on fresh mate- 

 rial collected by the class. 



Directions for work. Find mushrooms in the field. Determine 

 whether they are parasites or saprophytes by field study. Note 

 the places where they are found and the kinds of material to 

 which they are commonly related and from which they may 

 secure food. Find and trace so far as possible the fine, thread- 

 like underground parts. It will be necessary to wash away 

 the soil carefully about the base of the mushroom in order to 

 discover the underground parts, or a piece of the soil may 

 be brought into the laboratory for examination. These under- 

 ground hyphse constitute the nutritive body of the mushroom. 

 The toadstool is the fruiting body, producing the spores. 



Study the fructification, noting (1) the stalk, (2) the cap, 

 (3) the gills. Some kinds will show also (4) a cup at the base 

 of the stalk and (5) a ring around the stalk below the cap. 



Describe the mushroom. If possible to secure several kinds, 

 describe each kind with sufficient clearness to enable one to 

 distinguish them from your descriptions. 



Identify any that you find in the field by the use of proper 

 books. 



References 



BERGEN and CALDWELL. Practical Botany* pp. 247-253. 

 BERGEN and CALDWELL. Introduction to Botany, pp. 256-260. 



Book for Identification 



PATTERSON and CHARLES. "Mushrooms and Other Common 

 Fungi," Bulletin No. 175, U. S. Dept. Agr., 1915. 



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