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OBSERVATIONS ON SOME OP THE EDIBLE 



FUNGUSES OF THE SEASON. 

 By JAMES BUCKMAN, Esq., F.L.S., &C. 



Morchella esculenta — Morel. — In the " merrie moneth of Maye," aa the an- 

 tients have it, a friend kindly sent me some Morels, and upon the receipt of 

 them I at once consulted Dr. Badham and Mr. Cooke upon the best way of pre- 

 paring them, and at last my cook was desired to make a Ragout of Morels, 

 according to the recipe given in that oracle of fungal cookery — "A Plain and 

 Easy Account of British Fungi, by M. C. Cooke," (p. 107,) of which the following 

 is a copy : — " Pick and clean your fungi, and cut them in two, wash and 

 dry them well by wiping them, put them in a stewpan, with butter, place them 

 over a brisk fire, and when the butter is melted, squeeze in a little lemon juice, 

 give a few turns, and then add salt, pepper, and a little grated nutmeg. Cook 

 slowly for an hour, adding at intervals small quantities of beef gravy or jelly 

 broth. When done thicken with yolks of eggs." 



When done the result is aside dish equal to anything we have ever had in this 

 way either in Paris, New York, or London. 



Agarkus gamhosus, St. George's Agaric, or May Mushroom, was abundant 

 and good this season, and occurred in all the rings in which I have found it in 

 other years. Within 20 yards of a ring of Ag. gambosus about 20 feet in dia- 

 meter was a ring of the Ag. oreades. This latter has kept on producing fungi 

 from May until now, but the Ag. gamhosus ring produced a crop of this fungus 

 which was all over by the end of May, and in neither of the rings has there been 

 a different species at any time from the ones mentioned. There is, however, 

 a ring of A. oreades in one of my lower meadows, which likewise had a good 

 crop of this fungus in May, while at the present moment the ring is occupied 

 by Lepista personatus or Blewits. 



Ag. oreades : Fairy Ring Agaric or Champignon. — These have been plentiful 

 and in constant use in the house all the season. We cook them in every way 

 possible, and use them either as a self dish or with almost anything, bacon, 

 chops, chicken, game, all are improved by this fungus which we have found to 

 be highly flavoured, and at all times perfectly harmless. 



We have a ring on a sloping sandbank, in the meadow in front of the house 

 which has furnished us with a constant supply of this delicious agaric. This 

 ring is interesting as it has only started this season. It is not quite a perfect 

 circle, but much as follows : — 



The segment is not quite 6 feet in diameter, and as the bank is dry sand, it 

 will be well to state how, the ring seems to have started. 



