292 



Hybernation of Fungi. 



walnuts, which fill up as a bullet in its mould the niore or less 

 globose cavities which are hollowed out in the carious bones, 

 consist of tissue so intimately compacted as to lose the character 

 of threads entirely, and to justify their association with true 

 Sclerotia. The specimens kindly forwarded by Dr. Carter in 

 spirits, were perhaps more in favour of such an association than 

 the drawings made from the specimens when fresh. 



The greater part of these productions may be made to yield 

 their proper fruit, either by covering them lightly with soil in a 

 well-drained garden pot, and preserving them at once from too 

 rapid evaporation, or from a degree of damp likely to generate 

 mould by a bell glass either entirely closed, partially open 

 above, or gently tilted. It will be necessary also to modify the 

 light according to circumstances, the degree in which this may 

 be needful, being entirely matter of experience. In other 

 cases it will be better not to cover the Sclerotia with soil at all, 

 but to place the leaves and sticks which bear them as nearly as 

 possibly in their natural condition, while in others, the lower 

 part of the mother-plant may be immersed in water in a wide 

 mouthed bottle, the orifice being more or less completely closed, 

 as may be judged best. Any one who has succeeded in raising 

 the curious fungi of which ergoted grains are a condition, from 

 the black spur-like bodies, will at once see what a fund of 

 amusement is before the observer. Sometimes an Agaric or 



Ooprinus will reward his care; some- 

 times a Glavaria, sometimes a Peziza, 

 not unfrequently a Pis- 

 tillaria or TyjpJmla, while 

 sometimes he must con- 

 tent himself, as in the case 

 of Sclerotium durum and -$i<zA.—Pistillaria 

 its varieties, or closely quisquiliaris, nat. 

 allied forms, with some size * 

 humble mould. If he is in warmer coun- 

 tries than our own he may chance to have 

 a good crop of edible fungi, though we 

 must exclude the far-famed Pietra F>ni- 

 ga/ja which is so prized in Italy for the 

 excellent fungi which spring from the 

 tuberous masses of earth and spawn when 

 moistened, because it is not really a Scle- 

 rotiioii. Ergot must also be excluded, as 

 it has several material points of diffe- 

 rence, though the cultivation for the pro- 

 duction of its more perfect form is pre- 

 cisely similar to that mentioned above. 

 If he has been diligent in collecting specimens from decayed 



Fig. 1. — Clavaria juncea 

 on Sclerotium complana- 

 turn, nat. size. 



