214 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 4. 



bring, we hear, a ready sale at $7 the dozen, in 

 baskets. A gourmand, an epicure we should say, 

 was most, beautifully; bamboozled the other day 

 with this cheap champagne, and boasted at a din- 

 ner party what an admirable bargain he had 

 made. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 CULTIVATION OF MUSHROOMS. 



Whoever has been accuslomed to eat mush- 

 rooms, will certainly allow them to be one of the 

 greatest dninties the earth affords, especial!} 7 the 

 morel, truffle, and champignon. The morels chiefly 

 appear in April, and the truffle about that time 

 may be dug out of the ground; for they never ap- 

 pear above, the earth. Those who make it their 

 business, in foreign countries, to gather the truffles, 

 have only one way to find out where they grow, 

 and that is by the help of a hog, which they lead 

 in a string through the woods, suffering him to 

 root the earth as lie goes along; for swine being 

 very voracious of them, discover them by their 

 pmell, and turn them out of ihe ground. These 

 kinds have never, I believe, been cultivated, al- 

 though they are sometimes found upon our plains 

 and commons. The champignous may be raised 

 in gardens in the following manner. Dig a trench 

 six inches deep, lay in it the dung of horses, 

 mules, or asses, then cover the dung about an 

 inch thick with fresh earth, such as is just taken 

 from under the turf, rather sandy than otherwise, 

 and then cover the whole bed with straw or dry 

 litter, as well to defend it from frost in winter, as 

 from the scorching heat of summer's sun. The 

 bed being thus prepared, water it twice or three 

 times a week, without taking off the covering ol 

 straw, and in about a month's time the mushrooms 

 will begin to appear. These beds must be made 

 every month to produce mushrooms all the year. 

 The late (anions Mr. Harrison, of Henly, made 

 mushroom beds much after the same manner, only 

 instead of horse dung, he made use of old thatch, 

 which turned musty and grew mouldy much soon- 

 er than horse dung, and would produce mush- 

 rooms quicker, and in greater plenty. Half rotted 

 straw, moistened with lime water, will also pro- 

 duce mushrooms in great abundance. The cut- 

 tings of white poplar, steeped in hot water, well 

 fermented with yeast, will produce very good 

 mushrooms in a few days; and the loose chips of 

 the same tree, being buried in a decayed hot bed, 

 will do the like. 



To make mushroom catsup. 



Break them into an earthen pan, strew salt over, 

 and stir them now and then for three days. Then 

 let them stand for twelve, till there is a thich scum 

 over; strain, and boil with Jamaica and black pep- 

 pers, mace, ginger, a clove or two, and some mus- 

 tard seed. When cold bottle it, and tie a bladder 

 over the cork — in three months boil again with 

 new spice, and it will keep two years. 



To dry and powder mushrooms. 



Lay them on tins or seives in a slow oven till 

 they are dry enough to beat to powder: then put 

 the powder in small bottles, corked, and tied close- 

 ly, and kept in a dry place. A tea spoonful will 

 give a very fine flavor to soup or gravy, or any 



sauce. It is to be added before serving, and one 

 boil given after it is put in. 



To stew mushrooms. 



Sprinkle with salt and pepper — simmer slowly 

 till done; then put a small bit of butter and flour, 

 and a little cream: give them one boil and serve 

 with sippets of bread. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 VEGETABLE INOCULATION. KNOWN AND 

 PRACTISED 120 YEARS AGO. 



The following experiment of Mr. Lawrence, 

 was made 120 years ago, which he mentions in 

 his "Clergyman's Recreation," relating to the 

 jessamine. 



"Suppose a plain jessamine tree spreading itself 

 into two or three branches from one common stem 

 near the root. Into any one of these, in August, 

 inoculate a bud taken from the yellow striped jes- 

 samine, where it is to abide all winter, and in the 

 summer when the tree begins to make its shoots, 

 you will find here and there some leaves tinged 

 with yellow, even on the other branches not inocu- 

 lated, till by degrees, in succeeding years, the 

 whole tree, even the 'very wood of* all the tender 

 branches, will be most beautifully striped and 

 dyed with yellow and green intermixed." He 

 adds, that "though the inoculated bud should not 

 shoot out, or that it should live but two or three 

 months, and after that, happens to die or be 

 wounded by accident, yet even in that little time 

 it will have communicated its virtue to the whole 

 sap, and the tree will become entirely striped." 



For the Fanners' Register. 

 SUBSTITUTE FOR COFFEE. 



A German physician, by the name of Mark, 

 discovered that acorns may be used with advan- 

 tage as a substitute for coffee. Considering the 

 high price of this article, it will prove a discovery 

 of much importance. 



For tlie Farmers' Register. 

 SUBSTITUTE FOR TEA. 



The wood of the tender branches of the sassa- 

 fras, dried in the shade early in the month of May, 

 makes an excellent substitute for foreign tea. The 

 bark has a stronger taste and smell than the wood; 

 and from the quantity of volatile oil it contains, is 

 too stimulating and heating. The tree is culti- 

 vated in Jamaica, and the inhabitants commonly 

 employ the root in making tea. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 QUICKENING GERBIINATION. 



"M. Humboldt has made several experiments 

 on the subject of the germination of seeds in the 

 oxymuriatic acid diluted with water, and has found 

 that this acid has a remarkable effect in accele- 

 rating the progress of vegetation. Cress seed, 

 when thrown into the fluid at the. temperature of 

 88, showed germs in three hours, while none were 



