THE MANSE GARDEN. 169 



Mushrooms May be cultivated by those who de- 

 sire to study the artificial production of their spawn ; 

 for all other ends it were better to leave them alone. 

 These mushroom beds require as much attention as 

 a porter brewery, without yielding its profit; and 

 withall this fungus, nursed under filthy straw, in the 

 dark and dryrot atmosphere of a shed, has neither 

 the fine flavour nor the wholesomeness of those which 

 are sprinkled by nature and shine like the galaxy on 

 azure pastures. It is true that in some years the 

 mushroom is not produced ; but it is also true, that as 

 it furnishes a most delicious but somewhat dangerous 

 feast, there is safety in long periods of restriction ; 

 and for its better use that of the savoury and not 

 hurtful sauce which it yields it may be gathered in 

 some seasons to the amount of cart loads ; and the 

 produce will keep, like the corn of Egypt, till plenty 

 return. 



This plant, like the best of virtues, has its coun- 

 terfeits; and let neither man, woman, nor child, 

 gather, stew, broil, eat, or sip of any fungus without 

 a discriminating knowledge, gained by sight, and 

 smell, and locality, which no paper description can 

 possibly convey; and let not those who have the 

 spawn of their own manufacture, without such know- 

 ledge, confide in their artificial productions. " Ex- 

 cessive moisture," says the most experimental of 

 gardeners, " is not only apt to destroy the spawn," 

 (and what sort of spawn may come instead?) "but it 

 debases the flavour of such fungi as are produced 

 under it." And such excess of moisture, he ob- 

 serves, is supposed to render the " salutary sorts less 

 so, and to make the unwholesome kinds more acri- 



