AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES. 79 



a great favourite. It is eaten in great quantities, either boiled or 

 roasted, and also pickled and dried ; but soon loses its savour and 

 becomes insipid, 



59. CantJiarelhis cibariiis, Fries., Jap. Shiba-take. Under that 

 name persons were offering for sale by the basketful our well-known 

 egg-mushroom, in September, 1874, in the villages at the foot of 

 Fuji-san. I saw it in other places, too, but cannot find it anywhere 

 mentioned as growing in Japan. 



60. Clavaria flava, Pers., and CI. Botrytis, Pers., Jap. Nedzumi- 

 take, occurs, like the preceding, in the forests of Fuji-san, and is 

 sold in the neighbouring villages. 



61. Lycoperdon Tnbcr^ L. (Thunb., " Flor. jap." 349). Under the 

 name Sho-ro (Sho for Matsu, pine ; and ro-tsuyu, ^(^w), there 

 comes in spring a little mushroom similar to the bovista, growing 

 chiefly in pine-woods. It is much eaten in soup and also as a 

 vegetable dish, and although very tender, is almost flavourless. 

 This also is preserved. 



The following edible fungi are also frequently mentioned : 

 Shimeshi, Kikurage, Tsuga-take, Hatsu-take, Hira-take, and several 

 others, with which, however, I am still unacquainted. 



In connection with the preceding, let me here mention two 

 other dry fungi, which, though of no account as food, should not 

 pass unnoticed, being widely spread and utilized in a remarkable 

 manner. 



In Thunberg's "Flora japonica," p. 347, a tree-fungus is spoken 

 of under the name of Boletus versicolor, which we must add to the 

 dry Polyporus varieties. It bears, as Thunbcrg too remarks, the 

 name Saru-no-koshi-kake, i.e. ape-stool, and seems to be distributed 

 all over the land. It clings to the trunks of old foliaceous trees in 

 mountain-forests, often attaining great dimensions. I have in my 

 possession one 40 cm. broad and about 20 cm. long. In Nikko 

 people make plates out of them, the borders of which show two or 

 three growth-rings of the mushroom with all the natural irregu- 

 larities. Below they are sawed off and varnished in black ; their 

 upper part is hollowed out and varnished red, and they thus make 

 unique and very pretty vessels. 



The second kind of fungus, still more widely known, bears the 

 name Reishi, and is a dry, hard, and really worthless sort of hood- 

 mushroom, in appearance related to the Polyporus lucidus, Fries, 

 or P. ainboinensis of Farther India and the Malay Archipelago. 

 Reishi is the size of our champignon [A. campestris), and has a 

 stalk which grows occasionally 15 cm. long, and is dark brown like 

 the hood. If it perchance grows to be a curiosity on the stem of 

 an old dwarf-tree in a gardener's pot or tub, the tree is straightway 

 taxed from one to two yen (4 to 8 shillings) higher, and looked 

 upon as a sign of luck, Medetai, and an occasion for congratula- 

 tion. Reishi counts, too, as a good omen in general, and is used to 

 decorate the Tokonoma or slightly raised projection of a room. 



