INFLUENCES AND EFFECTS. 211 



Russia. Two instances have come under our notice of persons 

 with some botanical knowledge, and one a gardener, who had 

 resided in Russia and eaten of this fungus. In one case the Fly 

 Agaric was collected and shown to us, and in the other the 

 figure was indicated, so that we might be under no doubt as to 

 the species. Only one hypothesis can be advanced in explana- 

 tion. It is known that a large number of fungi are eaten in 

 Russia, and that they enter much into the domestic cookery of 

 the peasantry, but it is also known that they pay considerable 

 attention to the mode of cooking, and add a large amount of salt 

 and vinegar, both of which, with long boiling, must be powerful 

 agents in counteracting the poison (probably somewhat volatile) 

 of such fungi as the Fly Agaric. In this place we may give a 

 recipe published by a French author of a process for rendering 

 poisonous fungi edible. It must be taken on his authority, and 

 not our own, as we have never made the experiment, notwith- 

 standing it seems somewhat feasible : For each pound of mush- 

 rooms, cut into moderately small pieces, take a quart of water 

 acidulated with two or three spoonfuls of vinegar, or two spoon- 

 fuls of bay salt. Leave the mushrooms to macerate in the liquid 

 for two hours, then wash them with plenty of water ; this done, 

 put them in cold water and make them boil. After a quarter or 

 half hour's boiling take them off and wash them, then drain, and 

 prepare them either as a special dish, or use them for seasoning 

 in the same manner as other species.* 



This method is said to have been tried successfully with some 

 of the most dangerous kinds. Of these may be mentioned the 

 emetic mushroom, Russula emetica, with a bright red pileus and 



* Pour chaque 500 grammes cle champignons coupes en morceaux cTassez 

 mediocre grandeur, il faut un litre d'eau acidulee par deux on trois cuillerees de 

 vinaigre, ou deux cuillerees de sel gris. Dans le cas on Ton n'aurait que de 1'eau 

 & sa disposition, il faut la renouveler une ou deux fois. On laisse Its cham- 

 pignons macerer dans le liquide pendant deux heures entieres, puis on les lave il 

 grande eau. Us sont alors mis dans de 1'eau froide qu'on porte a- 1'ebullition, ct 

 aprfcs un quart d'heure ou une demi-heure, on les retire, on les lave, on les 

 essuie, et ou les apprete soit connne un ruets special, el ils comportent les 

 mf-mes assaisonnements que les autres, soit commc condiment. Morel Traiit 

 dcs Champignons, p. lix. Paris, 1865. 



