COMMON MUSHROOM. 
face ; it so strongly repels the fluid as to form a cover" 
ing for the fingers, and defend them from the contact 
of the water. 
The fumes of the puff-ball, when burnt, have a 
powerfully narcotic quality; and, on this account, they 
are sometimes used to take the combs from hives with- 
out destroying the bees. 
,296. The COMMON MUSHROOM (Agaricus cam- 
pestris) is a fungus consisting of a white cylindrical stalk and 
a convex cover of white or brownish colour, which has beneath 
an irregular arrangement of gills, yinky when young, but after- 
wards of dark liver colour. 
When it Jirst appears above ground the mushroom is smooth 
Md nearly globular, and in this state it is called a button. 
In England mushrooms are in great demand for the 
table. They are found wild in parks, and other pas- 
tures where the turf has not been ploughed for many 
years; and the best time for gathering them is in the 
months of August and September. 
They are eaten fresh, either stewed or broiled ; and 
are preserved for use either by drying, by being 
pickled, or in powder. They are also employed in 
making the well-known sauce called mushroom ketchup. 
As an article of food, however, mushrooms are by no 
means wholesome, being so tough, and having so great 
a .resemblance to soft leather, .as to be almost indiges- 
tible. This is particularly the case when they are of 
large size. 
Mushrooms may 'be raised artificially on beds con- 
structed for the purpose, even in cellars ; for if they 
have only warmth and moisture, the plants will vege- 
tate without light ; but the most proper situations for 
them, are under sheds in the open air. The plants thus 
grown, however, have more toughness than such as 
grow wild in the fields; and, in other respects, are 
much inferior to them. 
297- There is a kind of mushroom (Agaricus georgii) 
which is yellowish, with yellowish white gills, and when 
