FUNGI 



43 



or three days the bread will become covered with a cotton-like felt 

 ol threads. This is the mycelium. Later there rise up from this mass 

 many minute stalks which develop at their summits little black 

 beads The black beads are the spore bearing surface and each 

 furnishes an immense number of spores. Those who understand 

 the use of the microscope will know how to inclose some of these 

 spores in a glass "moist cell" and watch their growth and thus 



demonstrate the whole course of the life 

 of a fungus. The spores may be sown 

 on other pieces of bread and a new 

 crop raised. The name of this par- 

 ticular kind of mould is Mucor. 



There are many other kinds of 

 moulds which the pupils may find and 

 bring for comparison. There are 

 several species which will follow the 

 Mucor on the same piece of bread on 

 which it grew. Some of these may be 

 of bright colors. 



The blights, mildews, smuts and 

 rusts possess more or less the habits 

 of life of the moulds. Many of them 

 live on living plants. 



As none of the fungi have chloro- 

 phyll (the green coloring matter in 



See les- 

 .ng spores. Magnified. ' g^j^g qj^ leaves) they canuot feed upon 

 carbonic acid and water. They, every one, feed upon organic 

 substances. Either decaying plants or animals or living plants 

 or animals furnish them their food. Indeed it is they that pro- 

 duce the processes we include under the term decaying. 



It will readily be seen that as they must find their food in 

 the substances of plants and' animals either living or dead, they 



Fig.22. A single plant of the mould ^-^ leaves of higher plants 



Mucor. One knob Is discharg-- "-^^ iv_civ^.j ^x ^ ^ 



