OUR GREATEST INTEREST IN THE FUNGI 175 



of which we find the gills or lamellae on the surface of which 

 the spores are borne. We frequently speak of fungi as growing 

 very rapidly because of their sudden appearance in a fully de- 

 veloped form. However, the growth is not nearly so rapid as 

 it appears. The mycelium may grow slowly and for many 

 months in the tissues of the host plant, which it is slowly eating 



Fio. 113. Two specimens of mushrooms. The one on the left shows the annular or ring. 



away, and finally come to the surface and form the sporophores 

 or fruiting bodies, with which we are familiar, in a very few 

 hours. Some few fungi are used for food, but many of them 

 are deadly poison and the inexperienced person will do well to 

 refuse all forms except the strictly fresh puff-balls. 



Our greatest interest in the fungi lies in the fact that so 

 many of them are parasitic on our farm crops and cause the loss 



