Musa 



( 94) 



Mushrooms 



a warm propagating case. Soil, fibrous peat and 

 loam. 



Principal Species : 



exotica, 10', Aug., wh. 



Kcenigii, 40', Je., yel. 



MUSA. 



Description. A genus of herbaceous tropical 

 plants (ord. Musacese) of noble appearance, requiring 

 a stove temperature. Though apparently possess- 

 ing stems, the plants are really stemless, for the 

 pseudo-stem is built of the sheathing bases of the 

 leaf stalks. This pseudo-stem may attain a height 

 of twenty or more feet, and have leaves of a cor- 

 responding size. In the tropics Musas are grown 

 for the fruits, chiefly those of sapientum and its 

 variety paradisiaca, the Banana ami Plantain, while 

 textilis is the source of Manilla Hemp. In Great 

 Britain the plants have hitherto been grown chiefly 

 for ornamental purposes ; but, given plenty of room 

 and fairly large houses, Bananas of excellent quality 

 may be produced with little trouble. Musas 

 may also be used with good results in the sub- 

 tropical garden, provided that shelter from strong 

 winds be afforded; without this the long leaves 

 soon present a sorry, torn aspect. Ensete has 

 previously been considered to be the hardiest 

 species, but now this has to give place to Basjoo 

 (*//. japonica of gardens), which has proved to be 

 hardy in the more favoured parts of the south-west 

 of England. 



Propagation. By suckers, which are produced 

 after the stem has flowered or been cut down. 



Soil. Rich, fairly retentive loam, and well- 

 decayed manure. 



Other Cultural Points. Musas can hardly have 

 too rich a rooting medium, and water must be given 

 in quantity at all times. They may be grown in 

 large pots in the stove, but do infinitely better when 

 planted out. Constant feeding must be accorded 

 to pot plants, with frequent syringing. Careful 

 handling is requisite, as the leaves easily bruise. 



Principal Species and Varieties: 



aurantiaca, or., yel., fruit reddish vio., very 



fruit grn., stem short, good. 



close to sanguinea. Ensete, 13' to 25' , red mid- 



Bakeri, bracts crim. rib ; good for bedding. 



Cavendishii, 5' to 7', grh. sapientum, 20' to 2">', Ivs. 



(KI/II. sinensis). 10'. True Banana, 



discolor, grn., bracts red, paradisiaca, fruit 

 shorter. Plantain. 



Other Species and Hybrid : 



assamica, dwarf, suitable Fehi, 15' to 20', fruit very 



for pots. fine. 



Basjoo, nearly hdy., fruit kewensis, stem 3', Je. to 



3" long, not edible (sj/H. Oct., bracts crim., 



japonica of gardens). hybrid (Mannii X 



rosa,cea). 

 giueusis (see Cavendishii). 



MUSCARI. 



Description. Pretty, hardy bulbous plants (ord. 

 Liliacese), of great beauty when grown in clumps 

 or masses in the mixed border, rockery, or among; 

 grass. They also make pretty pot plants for a cool 

 house. They have clustered spikes of small 

 flowers. Muscaris may be purchased from bulb 

 dealers and planted in early autumn. 



Jfitnveiija (see Passiflora). 

 Muscadine (see Vitis vul/rina). 

 Mugcaria (see Saxifraija). 



Propagation. By offsets, which are freely pro- 

 duced, and by seed. 



Soil. Any common soil. 



Principal Species and Varieties : 

 botryoides, 6", Ap., bl. ; couicum Heavenly Blue, 



pretty vars. are album 9", Ap., bl. ; very fine. 



and album grar.di- Heldreichii, 9", Ap., bl. ; 



riorum, wh. ; pallidum the earliest. 



and pallidum grandi- moschatum, 9", Ap., bl., 



riorum, pale bl. ; and yel., shy bloomer iu 



caniuum, pale flesh. many gardens. Musk 



Common Grape Hya- Hyacinth. 



cinth. flavum, yel. 



comosum, 9", Ap., bl. racemosum, G", Ap., dark 



Tasselled Hyacinth. bl. (yn, Straugwaysii 



album, scarce, wh. ot"Tenore,notKotschy). 



moustrosum, 9", Ap., Starch Hyacinth, 

 bl.; very pretty. Feather carueum, pk. 

 Hyacinth. 



Other Species : 



Arjpi'i, 6", Ap., bl. latifolium, 9", Ap., bl. 



armeuiacum, 6", Ap., bl. lingulatum, 6", Ap., pale 

 atlanticum, 6", Ap. , bl. 



deep bl. maweanum, 6", Ap., bl. 



azureum (see Hyaciiithus micrauthum, 6" , Ap. , vio. 



a/ureus). bl. 



ciliat.um (now Hyacinthus ncglectum, 6", Ap., dark 



ciliatus). bl. 



commutatum, 6", Ap., pallens, 6", My., pale bl. 



bl. (SI/H. Strangwaysii parudoxum, 9' , Ap., dark 



of Kotschy, not Ten- bl. 



ore). parviftorum, 6", Ap., bl. 



compaction, 6", Ap., bl. Pinardii, 6", Ap., bl. 



concimium, 6", Ap., bl., polyanthum, 9", Ap., bl. 



wh. Buaveolens, 6", Ap., bl. 



dilutum, 1', Ap., bl. szovitzianum, 4", Ap., 

 Elwesii, 6", Ap., bl. pale bl. 



grajcum, 6", Ap., bl. transsylvauicum, 9'', Ap., 

 graudifolium, 8", Ap., bl. 



bl. 



MUSHROOMS. 



Definition of the Term. In its widest sense, 

 " Mushroom " may be made to include all the Fungi 

 belonging to the Hyrnenomycetes, but generally it 

 is more or less restricted to those which resemble 

 the common Mushroom in form. Popularly, all 

 those which are edible and useful to man as food 

 are included, while the poisonous ones are spoken 

 of as Toadstools. There are, however, edible 

 species of Fungi which have no resemblance to the 

 common Mushroom, whereas the poisonous ones, 

 or Toadstools, may and do often belong to the 

 same genus as the edible Mushrooms. Thus, 

 while the latter term may be employed to indicate 

 certain kinds, it is necessary to become perfectly 

 familiar with the non-poisonous ones before using 

 any as food. 



Description. The British Hymenomycetes are 

 divided into .six Orders, the common Mushroom 

 (Agaricus campestris) belonging to the Order Agari- 

 cini. Of Agaricus there are at least 782 British 

 species. The varieties of campestris are numerous, 

 hortensis being perhaps the one most frequently 

 cultivated. A Mushroom consists of a pileus or 

 cap, supported by a stalk, which is furnished with 

 a ring. In the early stages of growth a thin film 

 or veil connects this ring with the outer edge of 

 the cap. On the underside of the latter are 

 numerous plates or gills radiating concentrically 

 from the stalk to the edge. The hymenium is 

 situated on these gills, and bears large cells 

 (basidia) each of which usually carries four spores, 

 either on microscopic stalks or directly on the 

 basidia, as in the common Mushroom. The pileus or 



