Champignon ou Mousseron. Champignon, or Ertshwamm.

No. 867. - The Mushroom is one of a large class of cryptogamic plants of the natural order of fungi. The name is sometimes popularly restricted to such species as are used for food. It is a cellular plant, having generally a more or less rounded thallus supported upon a stalk, and having seeds upon the under surface or gills. They are numerous, being found in all parts of the world, and are usually of very rapid growth, often springing up and coming to maturity in a single day. Many species are used for food in different parts of the world, while other species are poisonous. Many varieties abound in the pastures and woods in all the States, and may be gathered wild and enjoyed by those who have not the means of raising them artificially. They are gathered in all the different stages of their growth, and are used boiled, stewed, stuffed or broiled, and when dried are used for flavoring. The current belief is that, while many fungi are virulently poisonous, others, including the common Mushroom, are free from poison, and may be eaten in any quantity. The fear of poison deters many from making any use of this savory and nourishing but treacherous vegetable, and if they are afraid to eat them it is a matter of considerable importance to have the real standing of fungi as food stuffs made clear. According to recent investigations the question seems to be, not how to distinguish the poisonous from harmless species, but how to treat Mushrooms of every sort in such a way as to remove or neutralize the poison which they contain, with the precaution of using this class of food stuffs at all times with moderation. It has been ascertained that repeated washing with cold water removes most of the poison of Mushrooms, and that boiling dissolves out the rest. The water in which Mushrooms are boiled, however, is always poisonous, more so even than raw Mushrooms. Dried Mushrooms have been found to be dangerous for twenty days, and also the water in which such Mushrooms had been boiled. They are not really safe until after four months' drying. Therefore, treat all Mushrooms as poisonous; carefully throw out all the water in which they have been washed; cook them well, and never eat them in large quantities. The fact that all Mushrooms are more or less poisonous should be no bar to their use as food, proper care being taken in the cooking and eating. The detection of poisonous Mushrooms is a matter of deep consideration. The surest method of detecting them, and a precaution that should always be taken, is to put a silver coin or a solid silver spoon in the water in which Mushrooms are cooked. If the silver assumes a bluish or black color it may be assured that one or perhaps all of the Mushrooms are poisonous, and they should be thrown away.

Culture

No. 868. - There can be no doubt but what all of the edible kinds would finally submit to and probably improve by cultivation, though as yet but a single species has been generally introduced into the garden. The common Mushroom is the only kind cultivated, and can be grown in cellars, sheds, on shelves in the open air, or in caves free from iron or coal. Beds of the required width and length are made of fermenting horse manure, at a temperature of about seventy degrees, being eighteen inches deep. Plant the broken pieces of spawn in this bed, six inches apart, covering the whole with two inches of light soil, and protecting it from cold or severe rains. The Mushrooms will appear in about six weeks. Irrigate only when the bed is quite dry, with soft or lukewarm water. The best of all situations, when available, in which to grow Mushrooms, are underground caves, such as supply the Paris markets with such vast quantities.