MUSHROOMS PROPAGATED FROM SPORES. 



219 



MUSHROOMS PROPAGATED FROM SPORES. 



By Dr. M. C. Cooke, M.A., V.M.H. 



It was in the year 1865 that the late Rev. M. J. Berkeley ■ 

 received specimens of a new species of edible mushroom from 

 Bodelwyddan, on the banks of the river Elwy in Wales, which was duly 

 described in the "Annals of Natural History" (under No. 1009) as 

 Agaricus (Psalliota) elvensis, B. and Br. It was not recorded again, and 

 nothing more was heard of it for sixteen years. About the year 1881 

 my late friend H. T. Wharton invited me to accompany him to the 



Fig. 32. — Agaricus elvensis. 



neighbourhood of Neasden reservoir, to examine some strange Agarics 

 which he had seen growing in the drip of some oak trees. We made the 

 excursion and found the fungi, which proved to be Agaricus elvensis, and 

 each of us carried home an ample supply to experiment upon its esculent 

 qualities, which were found to be excellent. It was a custom at that 

 time, with both of us, to throw all maggoty fungi and all similar debris 

 into our garden, in the hope that, at some time or other, some of them 

 might vegetate. The same locality was visited several times afterwards, 

 with the same results. 



A year or two afterwards I was surprised to find some fine Agarics 

 making their appearance under the drip of a pear tree, in my garden at 

 Upper Hollo way, which proved to be the identical Agaricus elvensis ; 



