IN EXTRA-TROPICAL COUNTRIES. 15 



Europe, besides numerous other highly valuable species from other 

 parts of the globe. Professor Goeppert adds as edible species sold 

 in Silesia and other parts of Germany : A. decorus Fries, A. fusip^s 

 Bull, A. gambosus Fries, A. procerus Scop., A. scorodonius Fries, 

 A. silvaticus Schaef., A. virgineus Wulf., A volemus Fries, besides 

 the almost cosmopolitan A, campestris Lirnie. Mushroom-beds are 

 best made from horse-manure, mixed with -J loam, the scattering of 

 the spawn (spores) to be effected when the temperature of the hot- 

 bed has become reduced to 85 F., the sowing of the mushroom 

 fragments to be made >3 inches deep and 4 inches apart ; 1 inch 

 sifted loam over the damp bed and some hay to cover the whole. 

 After two months mushrooms can be gathered from the bed. In 

 Japan mushrooms are reared on decayed split logs, and largely 

 consumed and exported. In France mushrooms are grown in 

 caves to an enormous extent. Puff-balls are also edible, and some 

 of them delicious (Meehan). 



Agaricus flammeus, Fries. 



In Cashmere a large and excellent edible mushroom (Dr. 

 Aitchison). Some of the noxious mushrooms become edible by 

 drying. Professor Morren mentions among edible Belgian species 

 Agaricus laccatus, Scop., Lycoperdon Bovista, L., Russula integra, 

 L., Sclerodesma vulgare, Fries. Any kind of cavern might be 

 turned into a mushroom-field ; the spawn is spread on fermented 

 manure, and kept moist by water, to which some saltpetre is added. 

 They all afford a highly nutritious introgenous food. 



Agaricus ostreatus, Jacquin. 



On trunks chiefly of deciduous trees throughout Europe. The 

 delicious Oyster-Mushroom, renowned since antiquity (Fries). 



Agave Americana, Linne. 



The gigantic Aloe of Central America. It comes here into flower 

 in about ten years. The pithy stem can be utilised for some of the 

 purposes to which cork is usually employed for instance, to form 

 the bottoms of insect-cases. The honey-sucking birds and the bees 

 are very fond of the flowers of this prodigious plant. The leaves of 

 this and some other Agaves, such as A. Mexicana, furnish the 

 strong Pita-fibre, which is adapted for ropes, and even for beautiful 

 textile fabrics. The strength of ropes of this fibre is considerably 

 greater than that of hemp ropes, as well in as out of water. The 

 leaves contain saponin. The sap can be converted into alcohol, and 

 thus the " Pulque" beverage is prepared from the young flower- 

 stem. Where space and circumstances admit of it, impenetrable 

 hedges may be raised in the course of some years from Agaves. 



