Am.  .lour  Pharru.  \ 
■  December,  1896.  j 
Mushrooms  and  Fungi. 
659 
is,  can  be  easily  increased  by  transplanting  the  mycelium  within 
the  immediate  region  in  which  it  is  found.  Enormous  crops  could 
thus  be  raised  without  other  attention.  They  keep  a  long  while 
after  gathering — in  fact,  are  readily  dried  for  winter  use.  They 
carry  in  bulk,  are  the  most  attractive  of  all  toadstools  when  dis- 
played, and,  once  introduced  into  our  markets,  will  be  eagerly  sought 
for  at  good  prices. 
The  sub-genera  and  species  I  have  described,  you  will  remem- 
ber, are  all  of  the  Agaricini  and  all  white-spored.  In  the  series 
having  pink,  brown,  purple  and  black  spores  there  are  genera 
corrresponding  to  those  of  the  white-spored  series,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Amanita  and  a  few  others.  In  these  genera  are  many 
excellent  esculent  species.  The  time  allotted  me  prevents  describ- 
ing them.  I  will,  therefore,  dwell  only  upon  the  purple  and  black- 
spored  toadstools,  they  being  in  many  of  their  varieties  of  greater 
interest  to  the  horticulturist. 
The  common  mushroom  is  an  Agaric,  bearing  purple  spores  upon 
its  gills.  Its  method  ot  artificial  propagation  is  well  known  to  all 
of  you.  First  what  is  called  virgin  spawn  is  made.  This  is  obtained 
by  taking  the  scrapings  of  public  roads,  spots  where  horses  have 
stood  on  fair  grounds,  from  the  well-trodden  mill-tracks  about 
horse-driven  grinding  machines,  and  like  places.  This  is  mixed  with 
a  carefully  prepared  medium  of  horse  manure,  and  left  to  stand  at 
a  carefully  regulated  temperature.  The  spores  contained  in  the 
scrapings  germinate,  throw  out  the  mycelium,  which  permeates  the 
entire  mass.  When  it  has  thus  done,  its  further  development  is 
stopped  by  pressing  the  mass  into  bricks,  and  by  gentle  heat  driving 
all  moisture  from  them.  These  bricks  then  contain  what  is  called 
virgin  spawn.  The  spawn  of  commerce  is  either  made  from  these 
bricks,  or  from  inserting  pieces  of  the  virgin  spawn  into  masses  of 
a  like  prepared  medium.  The  spawn  or  mycelium  runs  through 
the  additional  mass,  is  again  stopped  in  its  growth,  and  bricks  are 
made  from  it.  It  is  evident  that  the  nearer  to  virgin  spawn,  the 
purer  and  better  the  crop  of  mushrooms  produced  from  it  will  be. 
The  production  of  mushroom  spawn  is  an  important  industry  in 
England  and  France.  Large  quantities  of  it  are  imported  to  this 
country  by  our  well-known  seedsmen,  and  sold  to  mushroom  raisers. 
The  importance  of  procuring  good  spawn  is  equal  to  the  procuring 
of  the  best  seed,  or  plant,  or  any  other  cultivated  growth. 
