COMMON MUSHROOM. 573 



" A mushroom-bed seldom furnishes any abundance after 

 two or three months : it has often done its best in six or seven 

 weeks. Heavy rains are most destructive to mushrooms : 

 therefore care should be taken to remove the wet straw, or 

 litter, and directly replace it with dry. Hence the utility of 

 a covered shed, or mushroom-house." 



In addition to the foregoing, the following native species 

 may be eaten with perfect safety, if gathered young and used 

 while fresh : 



" An excellent species, much employed for Agaricus 



9 Comatus. 



making catchup, but should be used in a young 



state. It is found growing abundantly on stumps of trees, 

 appearing both in spring and autumn." 



Found in September and October, growing Agaricus 



Deliciosus. 

 under fir and pine trees. It is of medium size, Mcint. 



SWEET Musn- 



yellowish, zoned, with deep orange on the top, K M - 



somewhat resembling A. torminosus (a deleterious species), 

 but readily distinguished from it, as its juice is, when fresh 

 cut, quite red, afterwards turning green, while that of the 

 latter is white and unchangeable. 



Sir James Edward Smith says it well deserves its name, 

 and is really the most delicious mushroom known ; and Mr. 

 Sowerby is equally high in its praise, pronouncing it very 

 luscious eating, full of rich gravy, with a little of the flavor 

 of mussels. 



This species often attains a weight of five or Agaricus 



Exquisitus. 

 six pounds. It is generally considered less del- Badham. 



ST. GKOROE'S 



icate than the common cultivated mushroom jfc* M 55S&. 



/ . . . n n cus GKOKUII. 



(A. campestris), but in Hungary it is regarded 



as a special gift from the saint whose name it bears. Per- 



soon describes it as superior to A. campestris in smell, taste, 



