Hardwicke's science-gossip : an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature . tfrom a single mushroom. This parent mushroomexhausts the soil beneath it, and nearly destroys thegrass by the spawn or mycelium which insinuatesitself amongst their roots. When matured, thespores of this mushroom are shed at an equal dis-tance all around the plant, which latter dies, decays,and manures the soil around it. The next season acircle of fungi spring up about the spot occupiedby the mushroom of the preceding year, but allwithin the circle is barren. These shed their spor
Hardwicke's science-gossip : an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature . tfrom a single mushroom. This parent mushroomexhausts the soil beneath it, and nearly destroys thegrass by the spawn or mycelium which insinuatesitself amongst their roots. When matured, thespores of this mushroom are shed at an equal dis-tance all around the plant, which latter dies, decays,and manures the soil around it. The next season acircle of fungi spring up about the spot occupiedby the mushroom of the preceding year, but allwithin the circle is barren. These shed their sporesand decay as their parent had done, and thus yearby year the circle increases until rings are formed,in some cases three feet, and at others thirty yards,or more, in diameter. The turf cut from within thering exhibits a network of spawn interlaced amongstthe roots of the grass. Thus the fairy palace is de-molished, and the fairy dancers dispersed by thehard-hearted and unpoetical mycologist. Still we have the mushroom left, even although the fairiesare banished, and we must turn it to the best Fig. 213. Fairy-ring Champignon (Marasmius oreades). Has our reader never observed the mushroomdelineated in our figure (fig. 213) growing in clus-ters, or in rings, or parts of rings, in pastures, andby roadsides ? It is not at all uncommon in manydistricts from May to November, and we have seenit flourishing and decaying by basketsful in themidst of a poor population that never tasted meat,except an occasional slice of fat bacon, and yet noone stoops to gather them. The cap or pileus isfrom less than an inch to more than two inches indiameter, at first more elevated towards the centre,but afterwards becoming nearly flat on the colour of a buffy brown, which fades into thatof rich cream. The surface is dry, dull, and neitherviscid nor shining as in some other species. Thegills are paler than the pileus, with the slightesttinge of straw colour, not close together as
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booksubjectscience
