CHAPTER III: FROM SPORE TO MUSHROOM 
Tue way in which a spore grows into a fungus plant is very 
simple : 
(1) The spore is a single cell, and when it is in a warm, 
moist place it swells. 
(2) The cell absorbs food through 
its cell wall and divides into two cells. © O CO ff 
(3) Each new cell absorbs food and 
divides until long chains of cells are 
aN formed, looking to the unaided eye like 
aa threads. Each thread is a hypha, and a 
tangle of threads is a mycelium. 
(4) In the soil the mycelium nour- 
ishes itself on decaying vegetable 
matter, and grows; then, at certain 
points, the threads mat together to 
form little balls the size of pin- 
heads (a). 
(2) The pinheads grow to the size 
of bird-shot. 
(c) The bird-shot increase to the size 
of shoe-buttons. 
(5) If the ball 
is to become a 
stemmed toadstool, a minute stem ap- 
pears on the button. The stem and 
button increase in size. The button is 
lifted above the soil and expands into a 
mushroom. 
(6) If the button is to become a puff- , 
ball, no stem appears on the button; but 
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