334 ] The Fascination of Flowers 



mushrooms and other fungi absorb tissue from stumps and old 

 logs, the wood softens and falls apart. 



FUNGI THAT PREY ON LIVING THINGS 



The other kinds of fungi, the "parasites," take their food 

 from the cells of living things. These fungi are often dangerous 

 enemies to the plants and animals on which they grow. It is a 

 parasitic fungus that causes "potato blight"; another is responsible 

 for the costly disease known as "wheat rust." The simplest forms 

 of parasitic fungi that take their nourishment from animals are 

 the bacteria that cause diphtheria, typhoid fever and other serious 

 diseases. 



MUSHROOM SPORES INSTEAD OF SEEDS 



As mushrooms have no flowers, a child may wonder what 

 they do about seeds. Flowerless plants have their own special kind 

 of "seed." Microscopic in size, it is called a "spore." After landing 

 in a favorable growing place, the spore of a mushroom develops 

 rapidly into a threadlike form. From this a whole mass of threads 

 grow out for weeks or even months, until there is enough tissue 

 to produce a fruiting body then, with startling suddenness, the 

 mushroom appears! 



PRECAUTIONS AGAINST POISONOUS MUSHROOMS 



Mushrooms are usually abundant in damp, wooded spots, 

 as they do not need sunshine. If we happen to be in one of these 

 localities, we may be tempted to find some mushrooms suitable 

 for eating. It is a temptation best denied. Unfortunately some 

 people rely on tests that are supposed to indicate when a species 

 is poisonous they believe such mushrooms turn a silver spoon 

 black or change color when bruised. None of these tests are of 

 the slightest value. A number of characteristics do help to dis- 

 tinguish the poisonous from the nonpoisonous species, but only 

 an expert should attempt to draw the distinction for eating 

 purposes. 



