VI. J AGARICUS MELLEUS. 159 



was the same in both cases, though the foresters 

 assured me it was so. 



By the kindness of the forest manager I was allowed 

 to fell one of these trees. It was chosen at hazard, 

 after the men had struck a large number, to show me 

 how easily the hollow trees could be detected by 

 the sound. The tree was felled by sawing close to 

 the roots : the interior was hollow for several feet up 

 the stem, and two of the main roots were hollow as 

 far as we could poke canes, and no doubt further. 

 The dark-coloured rotting mass around the hollow 

 was wet and spongy, and consisted of disintegrated 

 wood held together by a mesh-work of the rhizomorphs. 

 Further outwards the wood was yellow, with white 

 patches scattered in the yellow matrix, and, again, 

 the rhizomorph-strands were seen running in all 

 directions through the mass. 



Not to follow this particular case further since we 

 are concerned with the general features of the diseases 

 of timber I may pass to the consideration of the 

 diagnosis of this disease caused by Agaricus melleiis, 

 as contrasted with that due to Trametes radiciperda. 



Of course no botanist would confound the fructifi- 

 cation of the Trametes with that of the Agaricus ; 

 but the fructifications of such fungi only appear at 

 certain seasons, and that of Trametes radiciperda may 



