Periodical Literature 125 



articles in journals and a number of books on edible fungi, their 

 recognition, their value, their cultivation, their preparation, etc., 

 have been the result. 



It is stated that over 100 species of edible fungi exist in Ger- 

 many, of which hardly ten are in the market, while only six 

 poisonous species need to be known. To make sure that no 

 poisonous fungi are offered, the city of Koenigsberg lately insti- 

 tuted a fungus examination office where, free of charge, identi- 

 fication is made for citizens, and against a small charge for out- 

 siders. 



Dr. Falk in a long article covers the ground quite fully. He 

 points out that since about one quarter of the German soil is 

 imder forest, withdrawn from food production, it is incumbent on 

 the mycologist to determine how a rational soil culture can make 

 the forest useful in this direction. Since strawberries have be- 

 come articles of horticulture, and huckleberries on account of their 

 raw humus formation are a damage to the soil, fungi alone may 

 be made objects of culture, for which they are specially fit in 

 the forest, since they are independent of light, hence adapted even 

 to dense young stand ; moreover, the best condition not only is 

 furnished them by a true forest soil, but they improve the soil 

 by preventing with their mycelia the formation of raw humus. 

 Whether this may be asserted as regards the mycelia of edible 

 fungi is, to be sure, not yet quite certain ; at least they can not 

 be damaging to the soil. This is certain, that due to the now 

 extensive exploitation of the natural growth of edible fungi 

 without attempt of their propagation, the non-edible fungi and 

 bacteria are favored. Hence means must be taken to favor the 

 edible ones, either by improving their growth conditions or by 

 actual, more or less intensive cultivation. 



The improvement would consist in removing non-edible fungi 

 by merely pushing them over and allowing edible ones, if exist- 

 ing, to remain until they naturally decay and fully seed the 

 ground. This method would not lead to a rapid extension. 



It is pointed out that the spores are too minute to be collected 

 from the caps, and at the same time for natural seeding it is 

 necessary for the fungus to stand upright, since the spores are 

 not dispersed, or only with difficulty if the hymenophores (gills) 

 are not placed vertically. In some species a few degrees devia- 

 tion from the vertical arrests spore dispersal. If, therefore, 

 one wanted to use the mushroom itself for seeding, it would be 



