AGARICS 95 



mushrooms. A few of his ingenious methods are 

 given in a later chapter. Meanwhile most of us will 

 be perfectly contented with our simple " mushrooms 

 on toast." 



While the Campestris is generally considered as 

 " the " mushroom, there is another species which al- 

 most equally shares the honors in popular favor. 



I have alluded to the habit of the horse-mushroom 

 as "growing in crescents or rings." This singular 

 tendency is, however, much more fully exemplified 

 in another fungus, which has thus won the popular 

 patronymic of the "Fairy -ring" Champignon, and 

 which is considered on page loi. 



ST. GEORGE'S MUSHROOM 

 Agaricus gambosus 



[Another very common example of mushroom in 

 its season of early spring is the Agaricus gambosus, 

 or St. George's mushroomjas it is popularly styled 

 in Great Britain, from its usual appearance about the 

 time of St. George's Day, April 23d. Hn addition to 

 its unusually early season, which is the same with 

 us, and which at this date would be a valuable hint 

 in its identification, it has also the singular habit of 

 growing in rings or clustered in crescents, after the 

 manner of the Fairy -ring Champignon of our lawns^j 

 Add to this, also, a very strong odor, 

 Remarkably and we have at least three suggestive 

 stroiig odor characteristics to aid usj This odor, 

 according to Dr. Cooke, is so strong 

 as to occasionally become oppressive and overpower- 

 ing where the fungus is plentiful. Workmen em- 



