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CHAPTER XL 



CULTIVATION OF FUNGI. 



Were Fungi objects of more general interest, there is little 

 doubt that in skilful hands a great many species would admit 

 of cultivation. At present, however, except under the care of 

 a few inquirers into their mode of growth and fructification, 

 attempts have been made to propagate a very few kinds only. 

 The three to which attention has been directed most are the 

 Truffle-5«- (Plate 23, fig. 2), Boletus eduUs (Plate 15, fig. 6), 

 and the common INIushroom (Plate 10, fig. 2). A good deal 

 has been written respecting the cultivation of Truffles, and 

 one person even professed that he should soon have Truffle 

 spawn for sale; but the treatises which have appeared have 

 been, for the most part, mere catchpenny productions, while 

 the experiments instituted have been generally ill-directed. 

 In one case which promised a good deal, and of which I was 

 invited to witness the result, it was found on inquiry that ex- 

 periments had been made with the refuse Truffles of one of 

 the Italian shops in London, which had been artificially dried, 

 and which had therefore for the most part lost their powers 

 of vegetation. But even in this case there were signs of the 



* These attempts liave been confined principally to Tnher melanos2)ornm, 

 (pstivum, and perhaps mf.ienferirum. 



