SCIENCE IN THE PROVINCES. 
365 
are found. The duration of fairy rings varies much ; some disappear in 
a few weeks, others endure for years. A severe winter will obliterate the 
external traces of a ring, and prevent the usual crop of fungi appearing 
upon it at the proper season ; but such rings often l’eappear, and are thus 
considered to have been suddenly formed. During the whole course of 
their appearance the rings increase in diameter, spreading outwards from 
the centre ; the faded brown circle becoming rank with green and copious 
grass, and a fresh outer circle being formed of dead or feeble blades of 
grass. The rate of increase is various ; some enlarging their diameter a 
few inches in the year, others as many feet. The circles frequently meet 
in the course of this gradual enlargement. In such cases the point of con- 
tact becomes obliterated ; and when this contact occurs between the margin 
of several such rings the obliteration of the parts which meet leaves a 
variety of segments of circles upon the turf, which pursuing an indepen- 
dent course, and some increasing more rapidly than others, present even- 
tually an unaccountable irregularity, and, as it were, patchwork of greener 
and paler, stronger and weaker portions of turf. When the turf is cut 
through such a ring at two contiguous points so that a breadth is taken 
up from the inner rank green, through the faded breadth, to the outer 
ordinary state, the soil of the faded ring is always found drier and of a 
paler colour than the adjoining parts, and abundantly impregnated with 
Mycelium. Indeed, a careful examination will show that the faded and 
impoverished condition of the turf of the outer ring, is due to the close 
investment of its roots by the mycelium of tire fungi, which occupy the 
ring. The dimensions of the rings vary from 3 feet to 300 feet in diameter ; 
they are at times very irregular in form, an accident arising either from 
the nature of the soil and the obstacles which they meet with in their 
circumferential expansion, or from more than one ling coalescing, and 
producing an outline of undulating curves. Such are the usual characters 
of these phenomena.” 
After giving a lengthened account of the various scientific theories, by 
which it has been sought to explain the appearance and growth of fairy 
rings, Mr. Smith accounts for them as follows : — 
“ The fungi,” he says, “ which are found just upon their margin, 
‘ exhaust the fertility of the soil, in which their mycelium* prevails.’ The 
ring then extends beyond the exhausted portion into the new soil. But 
both the inner as well as the outer portions of a ‘ fairy ring’ have a decayed 
appearance ; and on this head,” the author continues, “ careful examina- 
tion of the impoverished grasses upon the burnt and faded ring will show 
that it is the mycelium investing the roots of the grasses themselves that 
occasions the decline of their growth, and not seldom their death.” When, 
however, the “ mycelium ” has performed its functions, and produced 
young fungi, it decays ; and instead of extracting the nutriment from the 
soil to the injury of the grass, it serves as a manure to its luxuriant growth. 
Within the ring the long grass has exhausted the soil, so it now spreads 
outwards, and widens in circumference ; in short, to quote Mr. Smith’s 
recapitulation, “ the true explanation of the phenomena of fairy rings 
appears to be, first, the natural process of vegetation advancing from 
exhausted to virgin soil ; secondly, the impoverishment of the turf by the 
investing mycelium of the fungi ; and, thirdly, the revivifying and 
fertilizing effects of the decaying mycelium upon the same turf once 
withered and dried.” 
* The “ Mycelium ” is the interlacing filament from which the fungi 
spring up. 
