96 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 



but that species vvliich most nearly resembles it is slimy to the 

 touch, destitute of tine odor, and has a disagreeable smell. 



Again ; the noxious kinds grow in woods, while the true 

 Mushroom springs up chiefly in open pastures, and should be 

 gathered only in such j^laces. Unwholesome fungi will some- 

 times spring up on artificial beds in gardens. Sometimes, 

 when the spawn begins to run, a spurious breed is often found 

 to precede a crop of genuine Mushrooms. The poisonous 

 toad-stool, Agaricus cirocus, may generally be detected by the 

 presence of a sickly, nauseous smell, though some hurtful kinds 

 are so free from anything disagreeable in the smell as to make 

 any criterion, drawn from that alone, very unsafe. The whole- 

 some kinds, however, invariably emit a grateful, rich odor. 



In order to ascertain whether what appear to be Mushrooms 

 are of the true edible kinds, sprinkle a little salt over the inner 

 or spongy part ; if, in a short time after, they turn yellow, 

 they are unwholesome ; but if black, they may be considered 

 as genuine Mushrooms. 



FORCING MUSHROOMS AT ALL SEASONS. 



Mushrooms may be obtained at any season of the year, by 

 a proper regulation of the time and manner of forming the 

 beds. A good crop is sometimes collected without making a 

 bed on purpose, by introducing lumps of spawn into the top 

 mould of old hotbeds. The Agaricus campestris is most gene- 

 rally cultivated. Dr. Withering mentions other eatable vari- 

 eties, which grow considerably larger, but are inferior in flavor ; 

 he says " that a plant of the variety Georgia was gathered in 

 an old hotbed at Birmingham, which weighed fourteen pounds ; 

 and Mr. Stackhouse found one fifty-four inches in circumference, 

 having a stem as thick as a man's wrist." 



The methods of procuring and propagating spawn, and of 

 forming Mushroom beds, are numerous. Indigenous spawn 

 may be collected in pasture lands in September and October, 

 or it may be found in its strength and purity in the paths of 

 mills worked by horses, or in any other horse-walks under 



