SHADE TREE AND TIMBER DESTROYING FUNGI. 211 



The case'was an interesting one since the question arose as to 

 how the fungus, now completely imprisoned, gained entrance to 

 the trunk. The butt was sound so the fungus could not have 

 entered through the roots. 

 Perhaps it entered at a large 

 branch broken a number of 

 years ago and now completely 

 healed over. 



All of the sections showed 

 more or less decay at the 

 central core of the heart wood 

 where some of the wood was 

 so badly decayed in some sec- 

 tions as to break out or crum- 

 ble from the friction of the 

 saw. One of the sections not 

 far from the base of the trunk 

 presented on the lower end, 

 and near the periphery, a cir- 

 cular black area, resembling 

 the dead remnant of a branch 

 which might have broken off 

 years ago, and healed over. 

 On the surface of the same 

 side of this section was a prom- 

 inent enlargement in the 

 trunk, resulting from the 

 healing process. But the evi- 

 dence of a wound here was 

 largely obliterated because the 

 old bark had formed over the 

 surface. There was only a 

 minute opening, very obscure 

 which was not completely healed over. 



By examining successive sections of the trunk below this one 

 it was observed that this black "core" representing the broken 

 portion of the young tree gradually came to lie exactly in the 

 central core of the trunk. This indicates quite clearly that the 



68. Section of oak showing 

 decay at center. 



