﻿T. 
  KiEK. 
  — 
  On 
  ihc 
  Export 
  of 
  Fuiujus 
  from 
  'Scui 
  Zealand. 
  4.55 
  

  

  animals 
  and 
  p'aal;3 
  avo 
  cDustautly 
  yielcTiag 
  aTJitions 
  io 
  tlie 
  catalogue 
  of 
  

   organic 
  substiinces 
  dii-ectly 
  or 
  iuclirectly 
  utilized 
  by 
  man, 
  Fuugi 
  and 
  

   Insccta, 
  notwithstanding 
  tlieir 
  vast 
  numbers, 
  but 
  rarely 
  assist 
  to 
  swell 
  the 
  

   roll. 
  Any 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  usefid 
  species 
  of 
  either 
  is 
  therefore 
  of 
  special 
  

   interest, 
  and 
  on 
  this, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  other 
  grounds, 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  draw 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  export 
  of 
  Fungus 
  from 
  this 
  colony. 
  It 
  is 
  practically 
  restricted 
  

   to 
  a 
  single 
  species 
  — 
  HirneoJa 
  polijlricha, 
  Mont., 
  — 
  which 
  is 
  plentiful 
  on 
  

   decaying 
  timber 
  in 
  all 
  our 
  forest 
  districts. 
  

  

  Prior 
  to 
  1872, 
  it 
  was 
  exported 
  only 
  in 
  small 
  quantities, 
  but 
  in 
  that 
  year 
  

   the 
  amount 
  declared 
  at 
  the 
  various 
  ports 
  in 
  the 
  colony 
  was 
  57 
  tons 
  14 
  cwt., 
  

   valued 
  at 
  £1,927 
  ; 
  in 
  1877 
  it 
  had 
  increased 
  to 
  220 
  tons 
  5 
  cwt.. 
  valued 
  at 
  

   £11,318 
  ; 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  exported 
  during 
  the 
  seven 
  years 
  ending 
  1878 
  

   being 
  838 
  tons, 
  valued 
  at 
  £37,812. 
  Its 
  gradual 
  increase 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  

   the 
  following 
  return, 
  for 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  the 
  Collector 
  of 
  Customs. 
  

   Fractions 
  are 
  omitted 
  for 
  convenience 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Year. 
  Tons. 
  Value. 
  

  

  1872 
  ,. 
  .. 
  C8 
  .. 
  .. 
  £1,927 
  

  

  1S73 
  ., 
  ,. 
  95 
  .. 
  .. 
  1,195 
  

  

  1874 
  .. 
  .. 
  118 
  .. 
  .. 
  6,226 
  

  

  1875 
  .. 
  .. 
  112 
  .. 
  .. 
  5,744 
  

  

  1876 
  .. 
  .. 
  182 
  ., 
  .. 
  6,224 
  

   1S77 
  .. 
  .. 
  220 
  .. 
  .. 
  11,318 
  

   1878 
  .. 
  .. 
  103 
  .. 
  .. 
  5,178 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  declared 
  value 
  is 
  about 
  £44 
  per 
  ton, 
  

   or 
  more 
  than 
  four 
  and 
  a-half 
  times 
  the 
  nominal 
  price 
  of 
  one 
  penny 
  per 
  

   pound 
  paid 
  by 
  the 
  merchant 
  to 
  the 
  collector. 
  As 
  the 
  fungus 
  does 
  not 
  

   require 
  to 
  undergo 
  any 
  process 
  to 
  prepare 
  it 
  for 
  market, 
  the 
  actual 
  outlay 
  

   connected 
  with 
  it 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  collection 
  and 
  spreading 
  in 
  the 
  

   open 
  air 
  or 
  in 
  sheds 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  to 
  get 
  rid 
  of 
  moisture. 
  This, 
  however, 
  

   is 
  rarely 
  necessary 
  in 
  the 
  summer. 
  At 
  any 
  rate, 
  we 
  have, 
  in 
  round 
  num- 
  

   bers, 
  the 
  sum 
  of 
  £8,000 
  to 
  represent 
  the 
  actual 
  remuneration 
  of 
  the 
  

   collectors, 
  while 
  the 
  merchants' 
  profit 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  disproportionate 
  

   figure 
  of 
  £29,000. 
  China 
  is 
  the 
  sole 
  market 
  for 
  our 
  fungus. 
  In 
  1873, 
  at 
  

   the 
  suggestion 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Seed, 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Customs, 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Secre- 
  

   tary 
  made 
  enquiry 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  purposes 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  applied 
  by 
  the 
  

   Chinese. 
  The 
  Colonial 
  Secretary 
  at 
  Hong 
  Ivong 
  stated 
  in 
  reply 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   " 
  much 
  prized 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  community 
  as 
  a 
  medicine, 
  administered 
  in 
  

   the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  decoction 
  to 
  purify 
  the 
  blood, 
  and 
  was 
  also 
  used 
  on 
  fast 
  

   days, 
  with 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  vermicelli 
  and 
  bean-curd, 
  instead 
  of 
  animal 
  food." 
  

   Later 
  information 
  shows 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  largely 
  used 
  in 
  soups 
  as 
  ordinary 
  food. 
  

   It 
  was 
  further 
  stated 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  sold 
  retail 
  at 
  about 
  lO^d. 
  per 
  lb. 
  As 
  the 
  

   price 
  paid 
  to 
  the 
  collector 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  Id. 
  per 
  lb., 
  it 
  is 
  

  

  