MY GARDEN. 



that the senses of smell and taste afforded no indication of its poisonous 

 qualities. The symptoms which the poison produced were swimming 

 of the head, nausea, vomiting, and prostration. Deep but uneasy 

 sleep followed, and perfect recovery did not take place for ten days 

 or a fortnight. 



The Ergot of Rye, which is produced by another fungus called the 

 Claviceps purpurea, and which lives upon rye and other grasses, exercises 

 the most terrible effect on the human economy, by producing a disease 

 called ergotism, which has been fully described by Thompson in his 

 Lectures on Inflammation. A surgeon who is a frequent visitor at 

 my garden was continually advocating the use of fungi for food ; so 

 when preparing this chapter I took the opportunity of writing to him 

 to ask distinctly whether he had ever partaken of any ; and then I 

 had a confession that he had not, and I earnestly warned him not to 

 recommend persons ignorant of their nature to partake of them. I go 

 much further, and state that cheese infested with fungus is not desir- 

 able, and that food, whether animal or vegetal, with fungus upon it, 

 especially when cholera is prevalent, should never be eaten. 



FIG. 836. .Agaricus fascicularis. 



In the Fern-house the Agaricus fascicularis (fig. 836) grows, and 

 in its decay gives rise to a very offensive odour, which fills the air 

 of the whole house. We had a stinking fungus some years since under 

 the lecture table of the London Institution, which gave us much 

 trouble to extirpate. 



The Morel (Morchdla csculcnta, fig. 837) grows in my garden, 

 especially under large elm-trees. In some years we have had great 



