Title: The century book of gardening; a comprehensive work for every lover of the garden
Identifier: centurybookofgar00cook (find matches)
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Cook, E. T. (Ernest Thomas), 1867-1915, ed
Subjects: Gardening
Publisher: London, The Offices of "Country life" (etc. )
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Till: number of fungi that attack our cultivated plants is almost as great as that of the insect pests, and their attack's at certain times are even perhaps more difficult to combat than those of insects. It is asserted bv many persons that healthy plants are not attacked by fungi, that it is only in the case of a plant being diseased that fungi can find in it a congenial habitat, and that they are not the cause of the disease. 1 do not think that this can be proved. Doubtless plants in an unhealthy condition are more liable to, and suffer more from the presence of, parasites than those in robust health, and certain conditions of the atmosphere are favourable to the growth of fungi, and detrimental to our plants. But very often when a plant is infested bv a fungus it appears to be quite healthy until the attack has made considerable progress. Fungi vary very much in appearance, front the ordinary Mushroom and Toadstool to minute and very delicate moulds. The part of the fungus that we see is, as a rule, only that part which is concerned in the reproduction of its species by means of spores, so that it represents, to a certain extent, the flower of an ordinary plant, the real fungus being composed of a number of fine root-like organs within the substance on which the fungus is growing. For instance, in the case of the common Mushroom, the real plant is the "spawn," and the umbrella-shaped Mushroom is only a spore-bearing organ, and may be destroyed without any injury to the fungus. Thus in many cases a plant is infested by a fungus without any sim~i of the attack' until some of these spore-bearing organs are pushed through the leaf, stem, or whatever part is attacked, when the presence of the fungus is noticed for the first time, and w hen it is often too late to do more than prevent the pest from spreading bv dispersing its spores. Many fungi live only on dead matter; these are, of course, perfectly harmless to living plants, though when found on a dead plant they are often

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