Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/80

MUSHROOM when fresh has the flavor of a hazel nut, and he calls it the nut mushroom; he consid- ers that this flavor, together with the mova- ble ring upon the stem and the brown color, will allow of its ready identification. In Eng- land this ranks as one of the finest flavored, and those who have tried it here coincide in the opinion. A. prunulus, A. rube&cens, and A. nebularius are species common to both England and the United States. The favorite mushroom of Italy, A. Ccesareus, regarded as the most delicious of all fungi, was found abundantly in North Carolina by Mr. Curtis, who called it the imperial mushroom. The French call all mushrooms champignons, but in England the name is restricted to the fairy- ring champignon, which is by some called agaricus oreades, and by other authors it is placed in the genus marasmius. The fairy rings which are so common in pastures and lawns in England are circles of bright green in the grass of a few feet to several yards in diameter; these are produced by the myce- lium of fungi which, having exhausted the soil within the ring, is constantly spreading and enlarging the circle. The champignon is the most important of these fungi ; it is only 1 or 2 in. in diameter, with a very tough stem ; the cap is dull fawn color when moist, and when dry creamy white, with the gills of the same color, broad and far apart. A very acrid champignon, A. urens, has a similar appear- ance, but the gills are narrow and much crowded. The champignon is one of the most Fairy King Champignon (Marasmius oreades). highly flavored fungi, and may be kept in the dry state for years without losing its aroma. The chantarelle (cantharellus cibarius), one of the esteemed rarities in England, was found in great abundance in North Carolina, but was not relished by Mr. Curtis or his friends. Mr. Curtis in a letter to the Eev. Mr. Berkeley sta- ted that he had eaten 40 species of edible fungi collected within two miles of his residence, and that he had detected 111 kinds in North Car- olina alone. The cultivation of mushrooms, which is so largely practised abroad, is in this country mainly confined to private gardens; an attempt was made by the late Prof. Blot to cultivate them on a commercial scale, but his structures, being of wood and underground, decayed and fell to ruin before the success of Chantarelle (Cantharellus cibarius). the project was established. Occasionally a florist may make a bed for mushrooms under the stage of his greenhouse, and from these and other sources there is a scanty supply of fresh mushrooms; but except during the au- tumn months restaurants and hotels depend upon those imported from France in sealed tins. The mushroom appears to be depen- dent upon the horse, it being supposed that the spores are taken into the animal with the grass it eats, and germinate in the droppings; the manure of horses and cattle is the medium in which the mycelium of the mushroom flour- ishes most vigorously ; hence in cultivation an abundant supply of this is required, and also a stock of mycelium or spawn. The earth of riding schools, or that from the track of a horse mill, in which the droppings of the horses are thoroughly beaten into the soil, is found to afford an abundant supply of spawn; when once obtained it can be multiplied to any ex- tent, and, as it retains its vitality when dry, can be transported ; that sold in this country comes from Europe. Horse and cow droppings and loam are mixed together and formed into blocks like large bricks ; when these are partly dry, a hole is made in each and a small piece of spawn inserted ; the bricks are then placed upon a hotbed and kept at a temperature of 60 F. until the whole mass of each is per- meated by the threads of the mycelium ; fur- ther development is then checked by com- pletely drying the bricks, and afterward they are stacked away in a dry place for use or for sale. Mushrooms are grown in houses built for the purpose, in out buildings, cellars, caves, or wherever a uniform temperature of between 50 and 60 can be maintained. Cultivators vary so much as to details that general princi- ples only can be stated. Some use pure horse droppings, others mix these with those of cat- tle ; the beds are made of the fermenting ma- nure built up solidly and large enough to main- tain a heat of about 70. The bed being of