M U 



Gnd caufe their Flowers to be very 

 fmall ; and the firft Sort, which in- 

 creafes fo plentifully, would fill the 

 Borders with Off-fets, fo as not to be 

 clear'd out again. 



MUSC1PULA. Vide Lychnis. 

 MUSCUS, Mofs. 

 Thefe, tho 1 formerly fuppofed to 

 be only Excrefcencies produced from 

 the Earth, Trees, {5c. yet are no lefs 

 perfect Plants than thofe of greater 

 Magnitude, having Roots, Branches, 

 Flowers, and Seeds ; 4 but cannot be 

 propagated from the latter byany Art. 



MUSHROOMS are, by many 

 Perfons, fuppofed to be produced 

 from the Putrefadion of the Dung, 

 Earth, l5~c. in which they are found; 

 but notwithstanding this Notion is 

 pretty generally received amongft 

 the unthinking Part of Mankind, 

 yet, by the curious Naturalilis, they 

 are efteemed perfedt Plants ; tho 1 

 their Flowers and Seeds have not, as 

 yet, been discovered. But fincc they 

 may, and are annually propagated 

 by the Gardeners near London, and 

 ai/'e (the efculent Sort of them) great- 

 ly efteemed by moft curious Palates, 

 I (hall briefly fet down the Method 

 practifed by the Gardeners who cul- 

 tivate them for Sale. 



But, firft, it will not be improper 

 to give a fhort Defcription of the 

 true eatable Kind, fmce there arefe- 

 veral unwholiome Sorts, which have 

 been, by unfkilful Perfons, gather- 

 ed for the Table. 



The true Champignon, or Mum- 

 room, appears at firft of a roundifh 

 Form, like a Button ; the Upper- 

 part of which, as alfo the Stalk, is 

 very white ^ but being opened, the 

 Under-part is of a livid Flefh - co- 

 lour ; but the flefhy Parr, when 

 broken,* is very white: when thefe 

 are fuffered to remain undifturbed. 

 they will grow to a large Size, and 

 e> plicate thcmfelves almoft to a Flat- 



M U 



nefs, and the red Part underneath 

 will change to a dark Colour. 



In order to cultivate them, if you 

 have no Beds in your own, or in 

 neighbouring Gardens, which pro- 

 duce them, you fhould look abroad 

 in rich Pailures, during the Months 

 of Auguji and September, until you 

 rind them (that being the Seafon 

 when they are produced) ; then you 

 fiiould open the Ground about the 

 Roots of the Mufhrooms, where you 

 will find the Earth, very often, full 

 of fmall white Knobs, which are 

 the Off-fets, or young Mufhrooms : 

 thefe mould be carefully gathered, 

 preferving them in Lumps with the 

 Earth about them : but as this Spawn 

 cannot be found in the Pafture, ex- 

 cept at the Seafon when the Mufh- 

 rooms are naturally produced, you 

 may probably find fome in old 

 Dunghils, efpecially where there has 

 been much Litter amongft it, and 

 the Wet hath not penetrated it to 

 rot it; as likewife, by fearching old 

 Hot-beds, it may be often found ; 

 ■for this Spawn hath the Appearance 

 of a white Mould, mooting out in 

 long Strings, by which it may be 

 eafily known, where-ever it is met 

 with ; or this may be procured by 

 mixing fome long Dung from the 

 Stable, which has not been thrown 

 on an Heap to ferment ; which be- 

 ing mixed wkh ftrong Earth, and 

 put under Cover to prevent Wet 

 getting to it, the more the Air is ex- 

 cluded from it, the fooner the Spawn 

 will appear : but this muft not be 

 laid fo clofe together, as to heat ; 

 for that will deftroy the Spawn : in 

 about two Months after, the Spawn 

 will appear, efpecially if the Heap 

 is clofely covered with old Thatch, 

 or fuch Litter as hath lain long 

 abroad, fo as not to ferment ; then 

 the Beds may be prepared-to receive 

 the Spawn : thefe Beds mould be 



made 



