182 TIMBER AND SOME OF ITS DISEASES. [CHAP. 



knowledge furnished by the scientific educidation of 

 the biology of the fungus is the key to successful 

 treatment of the disease. This is, of course, true of 

 all the diseases of timber, so far as they can be dealt 



FIG. 23. Illustrating the structure, &c., of Merulhis, after Hartig and Poleck. A, 

 transverse section of the spore-bearing mycelium showing layer of spores above. 

 B, part of the spore-layer more highly magnified : the spores are borne in groups 

 of four, on peg-like sterigmata, developed from the ends of hyphae, which swell 

 up into club-shaped basidia. C, germinating spores D, a spore germinating on 

 a wood-fibre, and sending its germ-tube into the latter (highly magnified). 



with at all, but it comes out so distinctly in the 

 present case that it will be well to examine a little at 

 length some of the chief conclusions. 



Memlius, like all fungi, consists of relatively large 



