1376 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



of the cap is provided with leaf-like or 

 gilMike projections, reaching for the most 

 part from the stem to the periphery of 

 the cap. These are termed gills, or 

 "lamellae." The.v are constantly pink in 

 color in the white or cream-colored spe- 

 cies up to the time of (and sometimes 

 even a day after) the separation of the 

 ring from the cap. Subsequently these 

 gills turn brown and even a deep brown- 

 ish black. In the brown variety the gills 

 are at first grayish brown, but they also 

 become almost black with age. 



As a matter of fact, there are several 

 distinct varieties (or what we may for 

 the present term varieties) of the culti- 

 vated mushroom. In the work thus far 

 done by the writer three varieties have 

 been studied, and based upon color they 

 may be distinguished as a white, a brown 

 and an intermediate or cream-gray va- 

 riety. To these have been applied the 

 trade names Alaska, Bohemia and Colum- 

 bia, respectively. Under these names the 

 spawns have been distributed to commer- 

 cial growers. 



Spores and Spawn 



If one should take a full-grown mush- 

 room after the under surface of the cap 

 has become exposed by the breaking away 

 of the annulus, twist the stem until it 

 breaks away from its attachment to the 

 cap, or cut it off short, and then place the 

 cap, gill surface downward, on a sheet of 

 white paper, there will be found in the 

 course of 24 hours, more or less, a print. 

 In order to avoid drafts of air a vessel 

 may be inverted over the preparation. 

 The print obtained Is a fairly good repro- 

 duction of the projected form of the gills, 

 being composed of a mass of brownish- 

 black powder which has fallen from the 

 gills themselves. The color of this pow- 

 der corresponds to the color of the gills, 

 and the development of this material is a 

 very Important phase in the growth of 

 the mushroom. It is, in fact, for the pro- 

 duction of this powdery mass that the 

 mushroom, as we know it, is formed. The 

 brown powder consists of innumerable 

 minute simple cells in the form of ovate 

 bodies, termed "spores." These serve for 

 the reproduction of the mushroom. They 



are equivalent to the green powdery mass 

 produced by molds which grow upon 

 cheese, bread and the like. Their func- 

 tion is that of reproducing the mush- 

 room, but they should not be termed 

 seeds. Their structure is so simple and 

 they are in their development so distinct 

 from seeds that a different botanical term 

 should come into general popular use to 

 express this form of reproductive body. 

 Spore is the proper designation for the 

 reproductive bodies of all mushrooms, 

 toadstools and the like. 



As a rule, growers do not use these 

 spores directly in growing the cultivated 

 mushroom. Under favorable conditions, 

 however, each minute spore is capable of 

 germination and of producing a thread- 

 like growth, which by subsequent branch- 

 ing and with extensive ramifications may 

 produce in the course of weeks a spider- 

 web-like, or thread-like growth, penetrat- 

 ing the soil, compost or other substratum 

 upon which the spore happens to have 

 germinated. When this thread-like 

 growth which develops from the spore is 

 of sufficient extent to be readily observed, 

 it is known as "spawn." The spawn is 

 known to the botanist as the "mycelium" 

 of the mushroom, and it represents what 

 may be termed the vegetative stage of the 

 fungus. It may grow to a considerable 

 extent, and during this growth it stores 

 up nutriment. Under favorable condi- 

 tions there are then formed on threads 

 growing near the surface small pin-head 

 or cushion-like areas of growth. These 

 pin-heads represent the earliest visible 

 stages of what we know as mushrooms. 

 With further growth and modifications 

 they become the buttons which we find 

 growing superficially upon the mushroom 

 bed or bursting through the soil. Prom 

 the pin-head stage to the fully expanded 

 mushroom there may be represented a 

 period of growth ordinarily requiring at 

 least a week. 



It is evident that this lowly organized 

 mushroom plant differs very much from 

 our common cultivated green plants. 

 There are no such organs as root, stem 

 and leaf, and a well-differentiated body is 

 only formed when the mycelial threads 



