356 



distributed in most of tin- temi>erate region* of Uith 

 the northern and the southern hemispheres. In 

 Britain it is abundant chiefly in autumn in pas- 

 tures and orchard*. The Home Mushroom (.1. 

 arventu) is very frequently found growing in com- 

 pany with the Common Mushroom. It i- altogether 



Kg. 1. 



1. Punwol Agiric (Agarinti procervt); a, young. 2. Onmge- 

 milked Agaric (A. lUliciniat); b, young. 3. White Field 

 Agaric (.4. viryiiuui); r, young. 



a coarser and larger form, and is less favoured for 

 culinary purj>ose8 except in the making of ketchup. 

 It often attains enormous dimensions ; the top is 

 generally smooth and snow-white, gills brownish 

 white, ultimately with age becoming brown-black, 

 stem pithy or hollow, with a ragged or Hoccose 

 ring. This is the ' White-cans ' Mushroom of some 

 pans of Kngland. The true st George's Mushroom 

 (A. gambosus of some, or primulotut of others), 

 so called from appearing about St George's day 

 I April 23), is sometimes confounded with the 

 Cuimiion Mushroom. The head is thick and llesliy. 

 at first convex, becoming undulated and irregular 

 in outline, light yellow in colour in the centre, 

 fading to opaque white at the edges, gills yellow- 

 ish white, irregularly interposed, smaller and larger, 

 overlying each other like the plaits of a frill ; 

 the stem is solid, white, when young bulging at the 

 base, but in age either equal throughout or taper- 

 ing to greater thickness above. The skin of this 

 mushroom is soft and firm to the touch, and in 

 appearance has been aptly described liy Berkeley 

 as resembling a cracknel biscuit. It is one of the 

 most prized of the Agarics on the Continent, so 

 much so in Home that a dish of it is considered 

 the most fitting present to any one whose good 

 ollices arc to lie iiropii iated. The Fairy ring. Mush- 

 room (A. orttuii -i : Mnrii.iiiiiii orenaes of some), 

 also the Champignon of the French, is common 

 in pastures mm in lawns in liritnin, and in most 

 parts of Europe. The head is small, smooth. 

 Meshy, convex, having a lx>ss (itmho) in the centre, 

 tonsil, leathery, elastic, wrinkled ; when soaked 

 with water brown, when dry bull'. The gills are fiee. 

 distant, somewhat paler than the head ; the stem 

 equal in thickness, twisted, tough, fibrous, of a 

 pale silky-white colour. This species is much 

 esteemed by all who know it. Its flavour is 

 extremely line, and it is employed in the making 

 of the best kinds of ketchup. ( In the ( 'onlinent it is 

 dried anil used in the form of a ]>owder to flavour 

 various made dishes. Its peculiar mode of grow- 

 ing in circular patches or in rings, which procured 

 fur jt it- jiopular name, leads to the risk of on 



allied but poisonous s]>ecies which sometimes 

 grows in the same mamiei being confounded with 

 it. Tliia is the False Champignon (.1. or M<ir- 

 asmitis urrtis), which is icadily distinguished 

 from the true Fairy ring Mushroom by its having 

 a Hat top without any IKISS, mid by its narrow 

 gills Id-ing closely crowded together. The forc- 

 i;oing are the nio-t commonly esteemed of edible 

 British mushrooms. lint there are a number of 

 others which are not only wholesome hut e\ 

 tremely delicate in flavour and nutritious. Then- 

 is the 1'aiasol Musi i loom i.l. f. i ': ic Mailed 

 Mushroom (l'i,/>riiiii.i ronintnx), of which voung 

 specimens only should lie used; the Itecl fleshed 

 Mushroom (.1. rubucetft) ; the Clouded Mushroom 

 (A. tiebularu), appearing late in autumn in inoi-t 

 places on the borders of WIMM!S ; and the Ola' 

 milk Mushroom ( Ltirltirias or A . delicionis ). This 

 last is much prized by connoisseurs in edible fungi 

 on the Continent and in Iliitam. It has, as the name 

 implies, orange coloured milky sap in the head, and 

 when broken or bruised both the ih--.li and the milk 

 become green by exposure to the air. This is an 



Fig. 2. 

 4. St Ocorpe's Agaric ( Agaricui grorgH) ; d, yonng. 6. Common 



MMslin>m(.d. aimfiutru); r, yniini!. '. Fiiir\-"K Mushroom 

 (A. arrtuta); /, young. 7. Ciavaria plialloidu ; g, yuung. 



excellent test when there is any doubt as t the 

 identity of this and an allied but virulently 

 poisonous species /,. torminoswi in which both 

 the flesh and the milk are white, and do not change 

 colour when broken or bruised. Although many 

 of the British fungi are wholesome and nutritious 

 food, yet it is proper that the inexperienced in 

 diagnosing them should be cautioned strongly 

 against eating nnv species of the wholesome quali- 

 ties of which tney are not absolutely assured. 



In many continental cities in^i tors are appointed 



to examine all fungi that an- brought to market, 

 lest lieleteiioiis species should perchance Id! wild 

 to the people. Those \\lio done to acquire an 

 accurate knowledge of edible British species of 

 fungi mav refer to I'r Madman's AV/i it/ l-'iiinpisn: 

 :, M. J. Berkeley's ti,,tlinrs of Itritish. 

 I ,i,nii:l <>ii i/( IHIKII. M. c. c, Hike's Kit ili/i- n"i,il I'liimn- 

 tnu /''/:' ( 1!M), and other works cited at FfNCI. 

 The culture of the common mushroom for profit 

 in Britain has since 1875 become an important 

 branch of gardening industry. Alwut London in 

 paiticiilar it is entered into by mai ket ganlenei s 

 anl rvi-n by spci-ialisls who live and thrive 

 solely by the production of mushrooms for the 

 million. To a lesoer extent the industry U also 



