other spores, hence the necessity for an absolute vertical position of the tube, a
position which is automatically maintained by the growth of the bracket which always
has the pore-bearing surface parallel to the ground and with the tubes vertical to it.
Should the tree on which the bracket is growing, change its position and lean to one
side, the bracket so orientates its new growth that the vertical position of the tubes is
maintained. The number of spores liberated is legion; it has been estimated (Buller,
“Researches in the Fungi”) that one square foot of pore surface will produce 30
billion of spores in 24 hours. This may continue uninterruptedly for 6 months or
eee the total production has been computed to be somewhere around 5460 billions
of spores!

For comparison, the common mushroom, Psalliota compestris, with a comparable
area produces 16 billion spores over a period of 6-8 days, but the spore producing
area of the Dryad’s Saddle is 165 times greater than that of the common mushroom
and is constantly increasing as the tubes lengthen during the season of growth.

Breaking the square foot area down more specifically, there are about two million
tubes contained within it, and each tube sheds approximately 15,000 spores per day.

At first glance such a colossal manufacture of spores appears to be unnecessary,
but not when the factors of survival are considered.

In the first place, it has been shown (loc. cit.) that only fairly large tree wounds
afford suitable sites for germination. Then, while the vitality of the spores lasts over
six months, the percentage of viable spores is very low. Again, it has been estimated

THE VARNISHED BRACKET

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