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TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



The author makes two distinct parts of his subject. First, he 

 gives the organization of the mushroom, its vegetation, its chemical 

 composition, properties and uses, the general distinguishing char- 

 acters of the eatable and the poisonous, the mode of keeping the 

 good sorts, the culture of them in beds, the attempts to cultivate 

 the truffle, how to cure those who are poisoned by mushrooms. 

 Mons. Dupuis has, we hasten to say, drawn on the best sources of 

 knowledge: from Bulliard, Parmentier, Persoon, Richard, Roques, 

 Cordier, Mougeot, Scheeffer, Leveille, &c. As to its chemical com- 

 position, he has proved equal learning. He quotes the analyses of 

 Vauquelin, Braconnot, Schlossberger, Bopping, Tripier and Le- 

 tellier, without forgetting what has been written upon this sub- 

 ject, by our learned and honorable President, Mons. Payen. 



That chapter of this work which we consider the most impor- 

 tant in his book, is that on the distinguishing characters between 

 the good and the bad. They are characteristics easy to learn. 

 Smell, taste, color, consistence, habitat^ place of growth, age, &c. 

 In his second part, he carefully describes the good and the bad ; 

 and in doubtful cases, where the mushroom has a fallacious aspect, 

 he gives good drawings of them, side by side — the false or»nge 

 and the true, the poisonous Amanite with the eatable Agaric. 



We believe that Mons. Dupuis has, by this work, rendered a 

 true service to society. It is a small manual, within everybody's 

 reach. We hope he will continue his observations on mycology, 

 and give us the causes of the developement of those vegetable 

 leprosies, whose dust or spores, invade all vegetable tissues, and 

 rapidly destroy the hopes of the cultivator. 



DISEASE IN PEAR. 



Mr. Field spoke of a rust which had attacked his large pear 

 nursery, (20,000 trees,; on the 4tli of August instant. 



Judge Livingston has the same on his estate in Dutchess Co. 



Mons. Vuitry, of Saint Donain par Montereaux, speaks of it 

 thus : 



" I send a box of leaves and knotted fruit — the Pear Beurre 

 d'Aremberg, an espalier, a few days ago, remarkable for the vigor 

 and abundance of its flowers — is now destroyed. Tlie leaves are 

 spotted J the pear covered with a light white down, like the 



