3 52 



MY GARDEN. 



at some places, but not at my garden, and is said to be edible when 

 young. I have been assured that, cut in slices and fried, it is 

 excellent, but I have never myself tried it. 



FIG. 839. Giant Puff-ball. 



FIG. 841. Dacrymyces stillatus 

 and Spores, magnified. 



FIG. 840. Phallus imp'idicus 

 (Fruit x 700 diam.). 



I am not certain whether the PJiallus impudicus (fig. 840) has ever 

 appeared in my garden, but I have seen it in quantities in the month 

 of August at the Kew pleasure-grounds. If cut in half, both parts 

 continue to grow in a damp atmosphere. When mature, it exhales 

 the most disturbingly offensive effluvium. 



Some fungi dry up, and swell again when moistened by rain. This 

 is the case with the Dacrymyces stillatus (fig. 841). One day I passed 

 one of my bridges, when no fungus was apparent. A little rain fell, 

 when on crossing the bridge a few minutes afterwards the woodwork 

 was found to be covered with this species of fungus. 



Many species of fungi grow upon the living leaves of plants, and 

 do much injury to them. In early spring the leaves of our violets 

 are affected with a fungus called the ^Ecidium violcz (fig. 842), which, 

 on examination, proves to consist of beautiful cups. At my garden 

 only a few leaves have been attacked by it, and I never knew 

 extensive damage to arise from it. 



During the spring of 1871 an aecidium was noticed on one of our 

 Portugal quince trees, which had been some years in my garden. 

 It has been pronounced by Mr. Worthington Smith to be jEcidium 

 cydonia (fig. 843), a species new to this country, though known to 

 foreign fungologists. 



