CHAPTER VIII 

 A MUSHROOM 



103. The Field Mushroom : Vegetative Body. Among 

 the largest and best-known fungi are those which are called 

 mushrooms or toadstools. They are most abundant in damp, 



FIG. 33. TThe field mushroom ; threads and strands of the vegetative 

 body living in the soil, and various stages in the development of the fruiting 

 bodies. At the right is a half-grown fruiting body cut lengthwise through 

 the middle, showing how the veil attaches the margin of the cap to the stalk 

 and covers the cavity in which the gills are being formed. 



shady woods, though some, like the common field mushroom, 

 live in open woods, fields, pastures, or gardens. Many of 

 them are saprophytes, obtaining their food from decaying 

 leaves, wood, manure, and the like ; but some live as para- 

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