March 5, 1898. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



147 



The Fly Agaric. 



paper, is then laid on the ground, and the ball and carefully adjusted 

 fronds rolled up tightly in it, the whole being tied with string. In 



■ ONE of the most beautiful of our native fungiis undoubtedly the Fly this way, with a little water occasionally poured in to keep the moss 



~ wet > a specimen will stand for two or three weeks without loss of vigour ; 



and when eventually installed, either in a pot in a cool greenhouse or in 

 good compost in a shady sheltered nook in the garden, will speedily 

 establish itself, and well repay the extra care with additional 



Agaric known as Amanita muscarius and Agancus mascanus, amanita 

 being a sub-genus of agaricus. This species is fairly common through- 

 out the country, and very frequently may be found m beech woods, 

 where its bright crimson pileus is most attractive in the autumn sun- 

 light that passes through the beech foliage. While it is one of the 

 most handsome of agarics, it is also one of the most poisonous, and 

 not a few deaths have occurred through persons eating it. Yet, 

 curiously enough, this fungus is eaten in many parts of Russia without 

 serious results. Of course cooking has a great deal to do with this, but 

 no doubt also, fungi being more largely consumed there than here, the 

 people become in some measure proof against ill-effects or death as a 

 result of eating them, whereas others would succumb. Methods of 

 cooking are, however, the chief cause of preventing ill-effects, and it 

 is the practice to use salt and vinegar in considerable quantities with 

 the water in which this fungus is soaked previous to half an hour's 

 boiling. When there is any question as to the poisonous properties of 

 fungi, it should be remembered that those with a crimson or red pileus, 

 and those that quickly turn blue when broken or bruised, should be 

 always avoided. In no case should the Fly Agaric be eaten. 



The Fly Agaric dried and powdered was formerly much used as a 

 fly poison, and this led to the popular name and specific title. The 

 accompanying illustration is from a photograph sent us by Miss M. E. 

 Barron, High Street, Wimbledon, who writes : " The splendid Fly 



grows abundantly under the fir trees and between the 

 bracken on Wimbledon Common, Surrey. The large cap is sometimes 

 six inches across, and of a brilliant pink or crimson colour, beset with 



Mushroom 



repay 



beauty. Curiously enough, though it is by no means rare to see plants 

 of the common Hartstongue in windows, we have never seen but one in 

 which the full capacity was developed. That was a revelation. The 

 plant stood in a north window, and must have been many years old. The 

 pot was twelve or fourteen inches in diameter, and from this radiated all 

 nd some thirty or forty fronds, each about two feet long, the whole 

 forming an immense rosette, which quite filled the window. The pot was 

 pitched at an angle so as to give the plant all the light possible, and the 

 fronds were beautifully clean. Evidently it was regularly watered and 

 looked after, and, as a result, one of the weeds of our ferny districts held its 

 own as a splendid foliage plant, instead of being represented, as it usually 

 is, by three or four misshapen fronds without any beauty whatever. 



In our capacity of fern specialist, or "maniac," we have frequently 

 burdened our visitors with spare seedlings as souvenirs ; but, alas ! they 

 seldom serve that purpose long, yet we have ever a vivid recollection of 

 a splendidly tasselled Hartstongue given thus and long forgotten, which 

 confronted us once in a Kentish cottage, with a perfectly dense mass of 

 really marvellous cristation, a foot across and more, as the outcome of our 

 gift and careful culture, and it is precisely here where the lady's hobby 

 comes in which forms our text. 



Ferns lend themselves so peculiarly well to outdoor culture, and when 

 tended with loving and appreciative care so well repav it, that a proper 



THE FLY AGARIC. (Amanita muscarius.) 



From a Photograph by Russell and Sons. 



angular whitish warts. The head is set on a tall, well-proportioned stalk, 

 and when at its best the species is very conspicuous even at a distance, 

 and it is impossible not to admire it." 



A H 



for Lad 



In the autumn or late summer, when the various termini of the metropolis 

 are crowded with the returning tourist, male and female, who have been 

 revelling in the rural delights of our coast or inland resorts, the observant 

 eye cannot fail to be struck by the enormous number of ferns which, in 

 nf !£ et f 5- bun dles, figure among the impedimenta, and mainly of those 

 01 tne ladies On inquiry, we shall find that the bulk of these are the 

 se t-acquired spoils of so-called fern-hunting expeditions, while the rest 

 wui be simple purchases from hawkers who have saved them the trouble. 



0 snc r an ex tent, indeed, does this admiration extend that every popular 

 resort is surrounded by a large area of greater or less barrenness induced 



so tK°?^ ta?t u P- rootin & of the fe ™s so soon as they declare themselves, 

 Snm ^ y where > as in the weste ™ counties of Devon, Dorset, 

 oomerset, &c, the air is simply laden with the spores, and plants grow 



tn ?u • P lentlfull y as t0 ind uce a sort of surfeit, that they manage 

 ritv f I ? Wn at a11 near the " haunts of m en " and women. N ow, the 

 Sm«i 1S j in nmet y- nme cases out of a hundred this admiration 

 nSe Tw S destruction , an d thousands of lovely plants which, in their 



native habitat, were 

 longevity 0 f a fern 



by their admirers 

 tne 



things 



remainder 

 remnants of 

 native charm. 



is an 

 only to stand 

 of the holiday, 

 exhausted vitalicy, 



of beauty 

 undetermined 



and 



for 



are 



ever- 

 rooted 



for the 



up 



joys 

 quantity 



a long course of misusage during 

 under which they become ragged 

 and lose every vestige of their 



probahlv T" 1 ^ ' lf they havc survived an d reach town, they are 

 finallt / J 1 u mt ° the soil in some utter 'y unsuitable position, and 



takes nl ^ graVe in the rvbbish hea I } the next time a "tidying up" 

 us now c u the ve S etable kingdom is by so much the poorer. Let 

 ie one ' C ™ l u would happen if a proper fern hobby were in question, 

 intelliorpnf — admiration for the plants was accompanied by an 



of how tH K apprCCiatlon of their needs and P eculi arities, and a knowledge 

 Plant u f n / out the best that is in them - In such a case, if a specimen 

 handful ? nf WO ? h y of transfer to the home collection, a good double 

 quest whl tno / ou 8 hl y damp moss would first be sought for, never a long 

 ou t with a S are P lentif ul ; the fern would then be carefully dug 



moss so T f ma r ny r °° ts as P° ssibIe > and these wrapped up well in the 



as to form a ball, a stout sheet of stiff paper, or double news- 



study of their capabilities for room decoration cannot fail to handsomely 

 reward any lady who cares to undertake it. How many, for instance, 

 know the extraordinary fact that there are actually in existence several thou- 

 sand distinct and beautiful varieties of British ferns ; more varieties, 

 indeed, than exist of all exotic ferns put together. Add to this that they 

 are all (with two exceptions) perfectly hardy, so that they will survive 

 the hardest winter frost, and, given a few simple rules, are of easiest pos- 

 sible culture, and the wonder ever grows on those who know that not 

 one room in ten thousand boasts even a specimen. Years ago we 

 rigged up two or three shelves in a bay window facing north, and installed 

 thereon a score or so of good varieties ; the passers-by were constantly 

 stopping to admire, and a neighbouring nurseryman became quite an 

 enthusiast, while to me they were a perennial source of pleasure. As we 

 have said, the observance of a few simple rules is all that is needed to 

 ensure success. One rule is, " Plenty of daylight, but little or no sun ; " 

 another, " Plenty of water, but no stagnation : " a third, " Keep the pots 

 turned one way, />., so that the plant faces the window." 



Windows facing north or north-east are consequently best, and, given 

 these aspects, nothing but glass should come between the plants and the 

 light. The watering should be attended to regularly, and although in 

 rooms saucers are requisite to catch the surplusage, these should be 

 emptied unless a smaller inverted saucer be placed within them which 

 supports the pots well above the water surface. If the pots be extra well- 

 drained with crocks, &c, this is a very good way and the capillary attrac- 

 tion lessens risk of drought. The position of the pots is important. 

 Many ladies who grow plants in living rooms are constantly turning them 

 round to show their best faces to the room, but in this they are fighting 

 against Nature. As a plant grows, every leaf adjusts itself precisely at the 

 best angle to catch the light ; fern fronds do the same. If, therefore, 

 the pots be fixed, the plant grows as it would in Nature, arranging itself 

 symmetrically towards the light. Give it a half turn during this process 

 and the immature growing portions twist themselves round to remedy 

 matters, hardening as they progress. Hence, after a few such twists and 

 turns the whole plant is more or less askew, and incurably so, since as 

 the fronds mature they lose their power of adaptation. Of course, in the 

 evening no harm is done by a volte face, but the risk of their being for- 

 gotten is great. The best plan is to mark the front or back of the pots, 

 to aid in its proper replacement when moved. A good open soil is 

 needed, a compost of loam, leaf-mould, and silver sand being suitable for 

 most ferns, in the proportions of two, two, and one, but for ladies it is 

 generally best to obtain what is needed from a nursery. 



C. T. Druery, F.L.S. 



