340 FLOWERLESS PLANTS. 
to where that sweet odor came from! It was the sweet 
scented Polyporus, another species of the same plant. Sim- 
ilar fragrance is observed in one species growing on the 
bireh which is used to scent snuff; another like the soft con- 
tents of the puff ball, is celebrated for staunching blood. 
This fungus has been much used as a remedy, and its virtues 
. vaunted in this country for the cure of consumption in its 
early stages; so also have similar surprising effects been 
attributed to the use of Agaricus emeticus. The phospho- 
rescent agaries of the olive and palm are luminous like large 
fire-flies, and a few suffice to light up a large room sufficient 
to read by. 
It is often said that some allied mushrooms are unwhole- 
some, and therefore there is danger, and upon the whole, it 
is best to let them alone. In reply, might we not inquire if 
the carrot, celery, parsnip, angelica and anise are not allied 
to the deadly hemlock? ‘The potato, egg-plant and tomato 
are also close akin to the poisonous night-shade. The inno- 
cent arrow-root, too, is the actual product of the fearful 
woorai, or maratia arunamacea, with which the savage pois- 
ons his arrow-points in war. The universal practice in 
Russia is to salt fungi; and beside they are often subse- 
quently washed and treated with vinegar, which would be 
likely to render almost any species harmless. Any one fa- 
miliar with our coast and bays will not fail to hear of cases 
of poisoning with shell-fish, and there are also sad cases on 
record of death from these as well as the edible mushroom, 
or Agaricus campestris. Fungi vary in quality with climate, 
meteorological conditions, soils. etc., so that the safest way 
is to eat ul: those raised in garden beds for the purpose ; 
always bearing in mind that much depends upon the mode 
of erui and cooking. 
The Grape Disease ( Oidium Tuckeri), is the result of a 
parasitie fungus, terribly devastating to the wine crops of 
Europe, the losses of which are estimated by millions, and 
so frightful as to threaten starvation to thousands; fortu- 
