19 



These spores grow in suitable places, into a fine network of threads 

 like cotton or mould, extending into rotton wood, or decaying veg- 

 etable matter. (These the children will not be able to make out, but 

 may be told about them.) Then when the proper time comes, they send 

 lip the part we see above the wood or ground. Have the children see 

 the stages of growth of this part. 



Having seen how the spores are borne on the gills of the kind above 

 described, have the children find where the}' are borne in other forms: 

 e. g., puff ball; the kinds that discharge spores through little tubes; the 

 kinds that carry them on the outer surface — plane, on spines, prickles 

 or warts; the kinds that are composed of a gelatinous substance with 

 the spores on the surface. 



One kind of puff ball, the earth star (Geaster) has a star-shaped collar 

 which will spread out when wet, and fold up when dry. It may be well 

 to have an earth star change its form repeatedly in the school-room. 

 How does it do this? Why? 



Get as man)' forms as possible. Never mind the names. Have the 

 situations in which they grow carefulh- observed. These are excellent 

 objects for drawings and descriptions. 



References for the teacher: 



Cooke, M. C, Fungi, (International Scientific Series) pages, 17-26. 



Bennet and Murray, Cryptogamic Botany, pages 3SS-399. 



Bessey, Botany, pages 175-180. 



St. Nicholas, vol. xsii, June, 1895. 



Campbell, D. H. , Structural and Sj'stematic Botany, p. 81. 



Moulds. 



Ha\-ing become familiar with mushrooms and their production ol 

 spores, a few of the common moulds might be observed. 



An easy and almost certain method of obtaining a large form (Mucor) 

 is by keeping a piece of bread in a closed, moist place, e. g. iinder a bell 

 jar or in a closed glass fruit jar. The vessel is closed to prevent evap- 

 oration. In a day or so, the slice of bread becomes covered over with a 

 felt of cotton-like threads. This can be observed to increase in quantity 

 in a few hours. After a time some threads grow up from the general 

 mass, and their tops form into little round knobs; the knobs later become 

 black. If a black knob is placed under a microscope, it will be found 

 that it produces immense numbers of spores, like the spores of the 

 mushrooms. After this mould has pretty nearh- run its course, the bread 

 will be covered with a quantit}- of dark colored dust which consists of 

 the spores. The children may be told that for the mushrooms, a simi- 

 lar mass of white threads grows through the ground, rotten log, or 

 other substance, before it pushes up the mushroom part to form and dis- 

 tribute the spores. This white thread part is called the mycelium. 



There are man}- other moulds which maj- now be used. On the same 



