92 
THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
plant in return for this service. Such root fungi are known 
as Mycorhiza and for a long time all Mycorhiza were supposed 
to be produced by a single species of fungus. At present, 
however, it is known that numerous fungi are concerned in 
the matter although the identity of but few have been estab- 
lished. According to C. H. Kauffman in the September Bo- 
tanical Gazette, the mycelium of several of the higher fungi 
may form mycorhiza and those thus far identified, belong to 
the earth-stars (Geaster) pore fungi (Boletus) and mush- 
rooms (Tricholoma, Lactarms and Cortinarius) . The author 
adds another species (Cortinarius rubipes) to the list of known 
mycorhiza formers. The mycelium of this fungus is brick red 
in color, and may extend for nearly twenty feet through the 
soil. It grows in connection with maples and others. Doubt- 
less the noticed fondness of certain fungi for certain kinds of 
woods may be explained in this way. 
Botany and Meterology. — One would scarcely connect 
the study of Botany with that of Meterology; yet among 
rural peoples and others accustomed to having "signs" for 
everything we find that they connect certain developments of 
plants, with that of weather conditions, or in other words, 
the growth in certain directions of some species of plants fore- 
tell the nature of the coming meterological conditions. For 
example ; It is said that the Welsh coal miners of Pennsylvania 
believe that the nature of the approaching winter may be told 
by observing the wayside flowers, if they be tall it indicates a 
long winter with deep snows, if they be low, little or no snow 
will fall. They reason, that as the seeds of these weeds are 
the main source of the winter's supply of food for snow-birds 
and others which linger in the North through our winter, if 
there are going to be deep snows these weeds will be tall, 
adapted by the wisdom of an overruling Providence to the 
needs of these feathered creatures and if little or no snow, the 
weeds will accordingly be low. Others of the so called in- 
