1S86 
the 
XHE mushroom industry in the SUBUllHfl 
OP PARIS. 
'J'lic growing ot Musliroonm 
‘■'ll indiiHtc 
as y«t little ilovoloiKHl in tliis noimlrv 
sunios vast proportions in ti.o neigl,boH,’oo.i 
of tliQ Frenoli Motrepoiis. AVimtiicr tiic Pii. 
risiau epicures liave an especial woalcncss 
for this most tlclicions o f vegetables, whether 
their gardeners are more enterprisino. a,,,! 
sUilltul tliau those of our cities, or wlietlicr 
tlie immense abandoned stone quarries in tiio 
vicinity of Paris oil'er unusually favorable 
conditions for Musliroom growing, docs'not 
appear. The fact, however, is not to be dis¬ 
puted, that the environs of tliis great city 
produce more Mushrooms than those of any 
other city of which we h.avc knowled<>-c. 
Her subterranean caverns cannot solve Sie 
whole mystery, for large quantities ai'c pro¬ 
duced .above ground, and in private gardens 
tlirifty beds of this delicacy may often be 
seen growing in tubs, boxes, or even upon 
simple wide boards lying upon tlie ground. 
AVhen we are told that the aver.age daih‘ 
production of the Paris Alushi-oom growers 
.amounts to 25 tons, we may begin to i-ealize 
something of the importance of the business. 
Of course tins vast amount is not all con- 
smnedbythe P.arisians. On tlie contrary, 
a large proportion is preserved in various 
w.ays, for shipment to otlier cities .and coun¬ 
tries, and in many of the far inland towns of 
our owTi country we m.ay purchase Fi ench 
Mushrooms at the Ijcttor class of 
stores at f<ancy prices. 
The manner in whicii the greater ]).art of 
these Mu.shrooms is produced, is full of in¬ 
terest. Thej'- are Largely grown at a deptli 
varying from 20 to 150 feet Ijclow tiie out¬ 
side world. Tiie only external marks of tlie 
points*Avhere this lucrative business is beinc 
carried on, are the long banks of stable m.a- 
iiure, piled for fermentation and manipula¬ 
tion among the huge ])ilcs of white stone 
rubbish that are alwai^s found about the 
shiifts of the quarries. The manure, g.ath- 
ered from the city, is collected into long 
piles where it is frequently pitched over to 
avoid violent fermentation. Wlien the straw 
of which it is composed has lost its consist- 
oney, so that it is soft and unctuous to the 
fouch, and h<as a brown color, it is lowered 
through the narrow shafts into the dark c.av- 
where in the gloomy, tortuous p.ass.ages, 
*t is formed into long, n.arrow beds, prepar.a- 
tory to the reception of the .spawn. 
fo one accustomed to g.ai'dening in the 
®Pen air, the multitudinous difficulties of 
is subterraneous culture must seem well 
“'gh intolerable- 
grocery 
ones 
; are arranged every day in tlie yea 
«U' la l,ii?” : **“"'1’'’“"'““ «l>0" 
ami 20 inches w do 
denmiiln I ’“'n cf various loiigtlis 
the ciin 
of' ,mm 7 T Oy inserting bits 
witlitliei” ‘''i'’cady periTie,ated 
'itli themycoha of the Musliroom. After 
mseitmg the siiawn, the beds 
witli about an inch 
three jiarts of tlie 
"over penetrates the winding caverns, and 
?. i*thor must be performed by artilicial 
'ght. Ifow the jutting rocks above hang so 
that one must stoop to' avoid relentless 
hmps; .yyjiHs stand so close 
at One can only pass by walking sidewise, 
on where the limits of the somber passages 
« such as.to afford abundant room, the 
m^'P'^esent beds often lie so close together 
at the visitor fears lest a stumble m the 
1 , ''’®^i®ved darkness should pitch hjin 
upon them. Nevertheless, amid 
dark..ahd echoing dungeons many 
are covered 
of soil, composed of 
i, wliite sifted ruliliisli of 
the quarry, and one part fine, dry eartli. In 
a ew days after the spawning, tlie small 
Muslirooms or “buttons” liegii, to appear, 
and .are fit for gatliering in a day or two 
longer. Tlie duration of the crop v.aries 
from forty days to tliree months after the first 
Muslirooms are lit for use, the length of 
time depending uiion tiie height of tlie roof 
of tlie caverns, the season of the year, the 
metliod of culture, etc. The grower must 
piactice mucli sliill .and vigilance, or liis 
work may go for nauglit. Tlie watering of 
the beds is an operation which requires inueii 
care, and in some quarries tlie water has to 
be carried long distances and lowered into 
tlie quarries iu barrels. Tlie ventilation of 
the caverns must .also be attended to, as the 
decomposition of so much manure generates 
gases tliat would, if confined, soou become 
fatal liotli to Mushroom and liuman life. 
Then, as in our open air g.ardens, there are 
insects and mildews to be guarded against. 
All in all, we think tlie Arusliroom grower 
should be well paid, as he generally is, for 
the markets .are alw.ays luingry tor his deli¬ 
cate wares. 
The Mushroom eaves .are under gov¬ 
ernment supervision, and are regularly in¬ 
spected. Tliej'^ arc owned by private indi¬ 
viduals, and are generally le.aaed to the 
Mushroom growers, the rentals varying from 
.•5.30 to JJSO per month, according to the ex¬ 
tent .and heiglit of the galleries, the facilities 
of ventilation, etc. “Elm.” 
151 
ieinove .1 outside of their window. It is believed 
, nd new that a young lover so engaged has never 
been seen by Ills lady or her mamma in this 
!ict of sacrilege; at any rate a friend tells 
me tli,at during his long residence in Japan 
he never heard of .anyone being detected in 
the act, or interfered with in any way. 
The fact is, this act of placing a pretty 
plant into the einj)ty flower-pot, is equivii- 
leiit to a form.'d proposal to the young lady 
who dwells.within. The youthful gardener 
having settled his plant to his mind, retires, 
and the lady is free to act as she pleases. 
If he is the right man, she takes every 
care of his gift, wiiters it, and tends it care¬ 
ful iy with her own hands, that all the world 
may see and know that tiie donor is accepted 
as a suitor. But if he is not a favorite, or if 
stern parents objeet, the plant is removed 
from the vase, and the next moraing finds it 
withered on the verandah, or on the path 
below. In a word, if you are not the right 
miin, it is evident that this phase of window 
gardening must be a difflcult and disa])- 
pointing one to carry on in .Japan.—From an 
addrgss by F. W. Burhridrje. 
JAPANESE WINDOW OARDENINa. 
Among the Japanese the love of flowrors 
and pl.auts is an absorbing passion. In the 
simallest of dw'ellings there is an altar-like 
niche in or upon w'hich flow'ering plants are 
ari-anged, but tlicy h.avc in some districts a 
most remarkable custom iu connection Avith 
Avludow gardening. 
In houses Avhereiu reside one or more 
daughters of a marfi.ageable .age, an empty 
flower-pot of an ornamental char.acter is en¬ 
circled by a ring, and suspended from the 
window or ver.andah by three light chains. 
„ .... XTnw the Juliets of Jap-an are of course 
The sunlight, of course, tueir Komeos as love-sick as 
those of other lauds. But instead of sere 
nades by moonlight and other delicate ways 
of m.akinganimpi-essiou,it is etiquette for the 
Jap<anese lover to .approach the dwelling of 
his lady, bearing some choice plant in his 
hind Avhich he boldly, but, let us hope rev- 
Sly, proceeds to plant in the empty vase 
rphis takes place at a time Avhen he is fully 
^ that both mother and d.aughter are 
“ flome and I need scarcely say neither of 
ore at all conscious that the young 
man is taking such a liberty Avltli theflower- 
ISLAND OP BABBADOES. 
Barb.adoes is quite a contrast to the other 
tropical islands fr'om the .absence of moun¬ 
tainous character, comparatively speaking, 
the gentleness of its slopes, and the extent 
of its cultivated area; there is scarcel^^ any 
Av.aste land, and as with an area of 102 
square miles, it has 162,000 Inluabitants, it is 
uecess.ary to cultivate it pretty thoroughly 
to ina'mtain them all. We enjoy the island, 
nevertheless, very much; the drii'es over 
the splendid coral roads, .almost as smooth 
as the asphalt p.avement, in the cool of the 
morning and eArouiug, are delightful, and 
the temperature of the sea w'ater is just right 
for b.athing. 
The • old-fashioned Avindmills, with their 
huge, solid stone towers and four long arms, 
are quite qiuaint, and the groups of the Cab¬ 
bage (Royal) Palm at every pl.antatlon, tow¬ 
ering high .above et’erythiug else, give an .air 
of novelty as well as beauty to the stranger 
from the North. 
Numerous fields are to be seen of the Ed- 
does, or edible CaLadiums growm for food, 
and of the Guinea Corn, which is an edible 
gr.ain. [Probably a sorghum.] 
The private gardens .are fl.araiug wdth Large 
Poinsettias, be.autiful variegated CaLadiums, 
Crotons, Coleus, and other folLage plants. 
Even the little negro huts h.ave plots iu front 
with choice varieties of Coleus .and Crotons 
growdng therein. 
Trees of the Pr.angipannl, with its deli¬ 
ciously scented flowers of Avhite or rose 
color; the Ceiba tree, or Silk Cotton, with 
its dense light-green foliage, and massive 
trunlc Avith its singular buttresses thrown 
out high above the roots; the Bearded Fig- 
tree, from which the island is said to have 
obtained its name, given by the Spaniards, 
barbados, bearded, from its roots hanging 
doAvn from the branches, like a be.ard, and 
sometimes striking root and groAAdng into 
stems, like the Banyan; the Ficus nitida. 
Garden Mangrove, Avith its exceedingly dense, 
dark-green foliage, spreading sometimes to 
a cUameter of 100 feet, all have their Interest 
to one having any botanical taste.— J. F. 
Flagg, in Vick's Magazine. 
