4 



FUXGI AXD FUXGICTDES 



by the presence of chlorophyll^ and the ability to con- 

 Tert the inorganic elements of the soil and air into 

 highly organized compounds. Bnt such plants form 

 only a part of the yegetable life of the globe. There are 

 Tast numbers of the so-called lower i^lants, like the toad- 

 stools^ mushrooms, molds, mildews, rusts, smuts, blights, 

 and similar organisms, which are classed together under 

 the common name of fungus. The plural of fungus is 

 fungi — pronounced funji — or funguses. These fungi 

 differ greatly from each other; some rank comparatively 

 high in the scale of existence, and others rank low. 



As an illustration of the higher fungi, we may take 

 one of the mushrooms so common in our fields and 



out side branches, which push about between the decay- 

 ing organic particles, absorbing nourishment from them. 

 These branches, in turn, send out other branches, and 

 these form what is called the mycelium, or regetative 

 portion of the fungus ; this continues deyeloping be- 

 neath the surface for some time. Finally an unusual 

 development of mycelium takes place at one or a few 

 points^ and from these there are rapidly produced a few 



woods. This plant repro- 

 duces by means of spores 

 — minute bodies, corres- 

 ponding in function to the 

 seeds of higher plants. 

 When one of these spores 

 falls upon a moist soil, 

 rich in decaying organic 



,7^/1'' matter, it germinates by 

 ^rW^ sending out a little tube 

 ^^^^ — much as the kernel of 

 corn sends out its germi- 

 ^^^^ nating radicle — and this 



FIG. 1. MUSHROOM. 



tube, after penetrating the 

 soil a short distance, sends 



