108 NATURE STUDY MADE EASY 



freely in meadows, has pink gills when young, which turn to dark 

 chocolate brown when ripe. It has a white, or sometimes a brown, 

 cap, with a stem and ring. Gardeners cultivate this mushroom. 

 It is much valued in nearly every country. 



Many mushrooms are poisonous, so we should not gather them 

 without knowing something about them. Many of the poisonous 

 mushrooms have a cup or bag around the lower part of the stem. 

 You should be sure of them before touching them. 



One poisonous mushroom has a cap which turns into a black 

 fluid when ripe. Another kind of mushroom grows very large, with 

 its cap full of dust. This dust is made of tiny spores. Squeeze it, 

 and the spores fly out in all directions. It generally grows on 

 rotten wood. It is called the Puff Ball Mushroom. 



Another mushroom, called the Earth Star Mushroom , grows on 

 the ground, and has the appearance of a starfish. There are many 

 other varieties, all curious and worth studying. 



Mushrooms sometimes do mischief. A certain kind of mushroom 

 grows on trees. It pushes its tiny, threadlike spawn into the 

 growing part of the tree and sucks up its nourishment. This 

 causes the tree to fail for want of food. You can see this mush- 

 room fungi on many trees. Look for it. 



LANGUAGE LESSON 



What is a mushroom its color its parts ? 

 Tell about the spores how they grow. 

 Name three mushrooms that are harmful. 



