Mar. 1904 ] Notes from Mycological Literature 
91 
belonging to this group are really slime-like or of the consistency 
of thin jelly in their early stage; they are called the “Slime 
Moulds.” But they are not often observed except by botanists, 
being mostly minute in size, living in retired places, as shady 
woods, etc., — rotton logs being a favorite habitat of many of 
the species. Many of the common Mushrooms also are fleshy, 
that is, of soft consistency — and it is therefore readily under¬ 
stood why the term Mycology was formed to indicate the divi¬ 
sion of Botany which has to do with the group of plants under 
consideration. 
Fungi. — A suggestion regarding the word itself may be 
timely. Simple as it is, the term is not always spoken correctly. 
Fun-gus is to be pronounced like “bo'-gus,” with the g hard; 
but the plural, fun-gi, has the g soft, and therefore is pronounced 
“fun-ji”— the accent being on the first syllable, and the i in the 
last syllable long, hence should be pronounced like “eye”. The 
plants constituting this group are numerous and exceedingly 
varied in outward structure. Those known to all, are the Mush¬ 
rooms, Toadstools, Morels, Puffballs, Truffles, Rusts, Smuts, 
Black Knot of Plum and Cherry trees, the “Cedar Apples,” 
Moulds, and Mildews. The Bacteria are usually included in the 
group of Fun'-gi; they are plants of simple structure and exceed¬ 
ing minuteness, but the work they do as agents of fermentation 
and decay of organic matter, souring milk and curing cheese, 
disintegrating even mineral and vegetable matter in soils, and 
as agents of many of the diseases of man and the lower animals, 
is everywhere witnessed. The various kinds of rots and decays 
of fruits and vegetables are induced by species of fungi. The 
common diseases of fruit trees, such as the Peach ‘leaf-curl,’ 
Plum ‘pockets,’ Anthracnose of Raspberries, Grapes, etc., as 
well as the Ergot of Rye, the Club-root of Turnip and Cabbage, 
Crown-gall of some of the fruit trees, and ‘witches-brooms,’ are 
abnormal growths, or injured tissue due solely to the attacks of 
various kinds, mostly microscopic fungi. The Yeast plant is 
another fungus — its simple structure and minute size being in 
inverse proportion to its usefulness — having been cultivated 
from time immemorial and like other domesticated plants as 
Maize, Wheat, Olives, etc., not known in the wild state. The 
existence of still another large group of parasitic fungi is wit¬ 
nessed by the “Leaf spots,” or little areas of dead tissue in living 
leaves of many herbs, shrubs, and trees during the growing 
season. A leaf may be so severely attacked as to succumb en¬ 
tirely — large irregular areas of dead tissue soon manifest, then 
the entire leaf turning yellow and dying; the young twigs also 
are sometimes involved. The fungi themselves are invisible — 
the destructive work only revealing their presence; a microscope 
is necessary for their detection. 
