DEVELOPMENT OF PLANTS 259 



other corn plants by means of their basitli(jspores (V'l^. 167, B). 

 In other cases, the teliospores germinate in the sprinp:, infesting 

 the seedlings. This appears to be always the case in the de- 

 structive wheat, rye, oat and barley smuts. Infection only 

 takes place when the spores come in contact with the seed . ( 'on- 

 sequently, in these cases, the fungus can more rea(hl>- bi- fought 

 by treating the seed with some fungicide as formahne and copix»r 

 sulphate. 



97. Order c. Agaricales or Mushrooms and Toadstools.— 

 This is the most familiar group of the basidiomycetes and its 

 12,000 odd species are commonly referred to as mushrooms and 

 toadstools. These fungi are largely saprophx'tes, li\ing upon 

 the humus in the soil and upon decaying wood. Se\eral of the 

 genera are exceedingly destructive to trees and cause great hjss 

 to the lumber industry. In the majority of cases, the fungi 

 appear unable to attack the living portion of the trees and only 

 thrive upon dead tissues, as the heart wood, wliicli they quickly 

 disorganize and render worthless. As in all the ])rc'ce(Hng groups 

 of fungi, the real plant body is a delicate mycelium that spreads 

 through the soil or decaying substances, as may readilx* be dem- 

 onstrated by splitting open a tree infested with one of the fungi 

 (Fig. 168). The "spawn" that is sold in seed stores for plant- 

 ing in mushroom beds is a dried mass of decaying leaves and 

 straw mixed with earth, in which the nncelium of tlie nuishrooni 

 has been allowed to grow. Often the h\phae of the m>(\hinn 

 lose their delicate character and become woven togetlu-r, forming 

 rather dense w^oody strands or plates, a dexclopment frecjuently 

 seen in the timbers of mines and under the bark of decaying trees. 

 In certain species the mycelium is phosphorescent and the cause 

 of the pale light that sometimes apjiears upon moist deca>ing 

 wood, the so-called fox wood. Tlie nurrliuin l)ear> at \ariuus 

 places the complex fleshy or woody IkkIv conunonly known as 

 the mushroom or toadstool. If the mycelium grows in a n-gular 

 manner, radiating outward in all directions, then the nuishrooms 

 will have a similar arrangement. The older central iK)rtions of 

 the mycelium will finally die off, while the newer i>ortions con- 

 tinue to radiate outward and produce the nuishrooms, which con- 



