28 THE ORGANISMS OF FERMENTATION. 



functions of ferments, and may therefore be also termed Fermen- 

 tation Physiology. With botanico-physiological considerations it 

 is concerned only in so far as they either afford assistance in the 

 comprehension of the physiology of the organisms, or facilitate 

 the differentiation of the various species from one another ; and to 

 this extent a knowledge of the morphology of the fungi is of essen- 

 tial assistance to the technical mycologist in the attainment of his 

 objects. Before going more minutely into this matter, it will, 

 however, be advisable to have a general view of the position occu- 

 pied by the fungi in the botanical system. 



As every reader will be aware, the sub- kingdom Cryptogamia, 

 which comprises all non-flowering plants, is divided into three 

 chief sections, or seven classes, viz. : 



I.' T/,ato P %to.-Thallous plants, ( Class ' Fun ^ F f > Devoid of 







II. Bryophyta. Mosses, with 

 leaves and stems, devoid 

 of true roots and vascular 



bundles. 



M 



O 



III. Pteridophyta. Vascular 

 cryptogams, with leaves, 

 stems, true roots, and vas- 

 cular bundles. 



3. Hepatince. Liverworts. 



4. Musci. Feather mosses. 



5. Equisetince. Horse-tails. 



6. Lycopodince. Lyco- 



podium. 



7. Filicince. Ferns. 



To the first of these three main"divisions belong all those plants 

 designated Thallophytae on account of the absence of any specia- 

 lisation of parts, such as stem, leaves, &c., and from the compara- 

 tively simple form (Thallus) of the individual. This section is 

 subdivided into the two classes fungi and algae. 



The body of all the remaining plants, from the mosses upwards, 

 shows, on the other hand, a differentiation of parts into stem and 

 leaf, and is generally designated Cormus, all the higher plants 

 being therefore generally grouped under the title Cormophytes. 



Of the seven cryptogamic classes, only one, the first and lowest 

 (Fungi], comes under consideration in Fermentation Physiology. 

 In accordance with the preceding scheme, these fungi are definable 

 as : cryptogamic plants, devoid of chlorophyll, roots, stems, leaves 

 or vascular bundles ; or, expressed in a more concise form : the 

 fungi are thallous growths devoid of chlorophyll. 



23. Classification of the Fungi. 



The fungi are arranged, according to the individual mode of 

 growth, into two main groups, namely, Schizomycetes, or fission 

 fungi, and Eumycetes, or higher fungi. The latter consist in the 

 main of thread-like cells, grow by acrogenesis, form true branches, 



