Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/88

76 MUSHEOOM underneath with beautiful rose-coloured gills, which are free from the stem as in the mushroom, aiid which never turn black. It is FIG. 2. Poisonous Mushroom (Agaricusfastibilis, FT.) probably a poisonous plant, belonging, as it does, to a dangerous cohort. Many other species of Ayaricus more or less resemble A. campestris, notably some of the plants found under the sub-genera Lepiota, Volvaria, Pholiota, and Psalliota, but when the characters are noted they may all with a little care be easily distinguished from each other. The better plan is to discard at once all fungi which have not been gathered from open pastures ; by this act alone more than nine-tenths of worthless and poisonous species will be excluded. In cases of poisoning by mushrooms immediate medical advice should be secured. The dangerous principle is a narcotic, and the symptoms are usually great nausea, drowsiness, stupor, and pains in the joints. A good palliative is sweet oil ; this will allay any corrosive irritation of the throat and stomach, and at the same time cause vomiting. The mode of cultivating mushrooms artificially out of doors and in sheds is described under HORTICULTUBE, vol. xii. p. 284. Paris mushrooms are cultivated in enormous quantities in dark under ground caves at a depth of from 60 to 160 feet from the surface. The stable manure is taken into the tortuous passages of these caves, and the spawn introduced from masses of dry dung where it occurs naturally. In France mushroom - growers do not use the compact blocks or bricks of spawn so familiar in England, but much smaller flakes or "leaves " of dry dung in which the spawn or mycelium can be seen to exist. Less manure is used in these caves than we generally see in the mushroom-houses of England, and the surface of each bed is covered with about an inch of fine white stony soil. The beds are kept artificially moist by the application of water brought from the surface, and the different galleries bear crops in succession. As one is exhausted another is in full bearing, so that by a systematic arrangement a single proprietor will send to the surface from 300 lb to 3000 lb of mushrooms per day. The passages sometimes extend over several miles, the beds sometimes occupying over 20 miles, and, as there are many proprietors of caves, ths produce of mushrooms is so large that not only is Paris fully supplied, but vast quantities are forwarded to the different large towns of Europe ; the mushrooms are not allowed to reach the fully-expanded condition, but are gathered in a large button state, the whole growth of the mushroom being removed and the hole left in the manure covered with fine earth. The beds remain in bearing for six or eight months, and then the spent manure is taken to the surface again for garden and field purposes. The equable temperature of these caves and their freedom from draught is one cause of their great success ; to this must be added the natural virgin spawn, for by continually using spawn taken from mushroom-producing beds the potency for reproduction is weak ened. The beds produce mushrooms in about six weeks after this spawning. The Fairy-ring Champignon. This fungus, Marasmius Oreades (Fr.), is more universally used in France and Italy than in England, although it is well known and frequently used both in a fresh and in a dry state in England. It is totally different in appearance from the Pasture Mushroom, and, like it, its characters are so dis tinct that there is hardly a possibility of making a mistake when its peculiarities are once comprehended. It has more than one advantage over the Meadow Mushroom in its extreme commonness, its profuse growth, the length of the season in which it may be gathered, the total absence of varietal forms, its adaptability for being dried and preserved for years, and its persistent delicious taste. _ It is by many esteemed as the best of all the edible fungi found in Great Britain. Like the mushroom, it grows in short open pastures and amongst the short grass of open roadsides ; some times it appears on lawns, but it never occurs in woods or in damp shady places. Its natural habit is to grow in rings, and the grassy fairy-rings so frequent amongst the short grass of downs and pas tures in the spring are generally caused by the nitrogenous manure applied to the soil in the previous autumn by the decay of a circle of these fungi. Many other fungi in addition to the Fairy-ring Champignon grow in circles, so that this habit must merely be taken with its other characters in cases of doubt. A glance at the illustration (fig. 3) will show how entirely the Fairy- ring Champignon differs from the mushroom. In the first place, it is about one-half the size of a mushroom, and whitish-buff in every part, the gills always retaining this colour and never becoming salmon-coloured, brown, or black. The stem is solid and corky, much more solid than the flesh of the cap, and perfectly smooth, never being furnished with the slightest trace of a ring. The buff- gills are far apart (v), and in this they greatly differ from the some what crowded gills of the mushroom ; the junction of the gills with the stem (w) also differs in character from the similar junction in the mushroom. The mushroom is a semi-deliquescent fungus which rapidly falls into putridity in decay, whilst the champignon dries up into a leathery substance in the sun, but speedily revives and takes its original form again after the first shower. To this character the fungus owes its generic name (Marasmius) as well as one of its most valuable qualities for the table, for examples may be gathered from June to November, and if carefully dried may be FIG. 3. The Fairy- ring Champignon (Marasmius Oreades, Fr.). hung on strings for culinary purposes and preserved without deteri oration for several years ; indeed, many persons assert that the rich flavour of these fungi increases with years. Champignons are highly esteemed (and especially is this the case abroad) for adding a most delicious flavour to stews, soups, and gravies. A fungus which may carelessly be mistaken for the mushroom is M. peronatus (Fr.), but this grows in woods amongst dead leaves, and has a hairy base to the stem and a somewhat acrid taste. Another is M. urens (Fr. ) ; this also generally grows in woods, but the gills are not nearly so deep, they soon become brownish, the stem is downy, and the taste is acrid. An Agaricu-s named A. dryophilus (Bull.) has sometimes been gathered in mistake for the champignon, but this too grows in woods where the champignon never grows ; it has a hollow instead of a solid stem, gills crowded together instead of far apart, and flesh very tender and brittle in stead of tough. A small esculent ally of the champignon, named M. scovodonius (Fr.), is sometimes found in pastures in Great Britain; this is largely consumed on the Continent, where it is esteemed for its powerful flavour of garlic. In England, where garlic is not used to a large extent, this fungus is not sought for. Another small and common species, M. porrcus (Fr.), is pervaded with a garlic flavour to an equal extent with the last. A third species, M. alliaccus (Fr. ), is also strongly impregnated with the scent and taste of onions or garlic. Two species, M. impudieus (Fr.) and M. fcetidus (Fr.), are in all stages of growth highly foetid. The curious little edible Agaricus esculentus (Jacq.), although placed under the sub-genus G ollybia, is allied by its structure to Marasmius. It is a small bitter species common in upland pastures and fir plantations early in the season. Although not gathered for the table in England, it is greatly prized in some parts of the Continent. Fries, the greatest authority on the higher Fungi, writes : "In Austria in cibariis magni ftstumatur." The odour and taste in fungi when raw are often valuable characters in deciding species. Morel. This delicious edible fungus, Morchella esculenta (Pers. ), is more common in Britain than is generally supposed. It grows after warm rains in the spring or early summer in woody places and in orchards and gardens, often in places where the ground has been burnt. Like the champignon, the morel can be easily dried and kept suspended on strings in necklace fashion for winter use. It is generally 3 or 4 inches high, with a hollow stem and a hollow, irregularly globose, honeycombed head, pale buff in colour all over, and furnished with an agreeable odour. There is more than one esculent species of morel : M. semilibera (D. C. ) is the next best known, but this is rare in Britain. A large species named M. cras- sipes (Pers.) the M. smithiana of Cooke attains a height of from 9 to 1 2 inches. This is a fragrant and delicious species, but only suit able for use in a fresh state ; it cannot be readily dried. Another valuable edible species is Gyromitra esculenta (Fr.), recognized by its brownish -black globose head ; it grows amongst firs and is con sidered rare. (W. G. SM.)