Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1884-11-20
Trumes.
A NEWLY IMPORTED TABLE LUXURY.
EDIBLE FUNGI WHICH FLOURISH IN EUROPE


! EDIBLE FUNGI WHICH FLOURISH IN EUROPE.
New York Tribune.
! 1.-The importation of truffles to this coun-
! try is on the increase" said Jacob Meyer,
who, until recently, was engaged in raising
them in Germany, near Hanover. "They
are looked upon by US as great luxury in
Europe, and | have often wondered why
they were not more used here
"What are truffles ?"
They are fungus growth, similar to the
mushroom and are found generally in soil
inpregnated with lime, and always in the
neghborhood of oak or beech trees They
are found under the ground, at distance
varying from an inch to foot, and are sup
posed to be a parasite living in their early
stage upon the roots of trees. They are
oblong or spherical, and vary from the size
of an English walnut to that of large po-
tato. Quite frequently have known them
10 weigh two pounds, and once found one
that weighed three and half pounds. Some
are Of q dull white color, bu; the black or
brown truffie has the finest flavor and brings
the best price. Their surface is rough and
covered with excrescences resembling warts,
and judging from the exterior they would
not be selected as an article Of food In
ternaly they resemble dark colored mar
bic and are different from other known
forms of fungi. Bat little is known about
their proportion and growth. The repro
ducti,e portion is found in minute sacs.
which contain a number of spores, and they
are thickly scattered through the number
ess small VEINS that traverse the mass in
every direction. In growing they are no,
attached To any other body. and lie loosely
tmhcdaed in the earth
In what localities are trutfies found ,"
They are found in the greatest prDfusion
IN southern France. and these are also of
he best quality. They also grow in some
PARTS Of Eaga GERMANY. ltatt. Austria
aud Africa. never heard Of any being
discovered In th, country Nv experience
ere, where have elde lvnr-d T. trlnSp ant
hem, as well a. in Germany, where spent
many wear, in futile efforts TO culuvate
hem artifcially, has led me q approve the
common opinion of trItfir hunters. that
trutfi- j. the most contrary rhng ID tile
~o,ld. Waen forced or c aNeI. HIT one
Viii appear, and frequently fed will he
Unexpectedly ieI. No one knows where
they come from. have taken 4 small trutil
out Of the ground. filed u2 the hole and th.
next day taken a larger one from exactly
the same ,p1t. Removing 'his second one,
have taken thrl anI >'ll larger one
from the same spot on the next day. Then
tor five days not sign Of truiiie could De
seen. On the sixth day smal. trLtfle
would be found in exactly the same spot
and the others would be found as before
+ They would alternately appear and di<ap-
pear III tAis manner for about three months,
and thea finally disappear altogether. Al
times they grow 50 quickly as to awaken
aStonishment, and again will increase in
size with the s.ownesS Of Il century plant. |
have had some success IN raising them bl
taking the water IN which the pairing of
trutfies had been stepped and sprlnklng it
over a truiile bed that had been worked out
In some parts Of France acorns sowed
upon calcareous soil have welded truftles
after the sapIlngs had attained three or four
wears growth bu, attempts to raise them in
large quantities viii surely fail. Mushrooms
are cultivated with good results, because the
vegetatIve portion of the plant is easily OBJ
tanned for planting The yegetatIve portion
Of tr4thr- has not VET been obtained and
consequently all experiments with them
have been futile. The odor OF the trutfie il
aromatic. peculiar to itself, and will speedily
penetrate ever, room IN house. 1t produces
nausea IN some people, and in Others a sense
Of light headedness."
"ls there any particular way of finding
them ?"
"ies. In England and Germany dogs are
trained to find them, generally poodlts or
spitz dogs 4 truffie is given to one of
these dogs TO play with, and then IS taken
it.o M neld ahd p'ah'ed IN siSht OF the dog.
"hen feeding time comes, the dO5 IS taken
to where the ,ruffie IS buried, and ne IS gwen
To understand that his getting food depends
upon hnllng the trufhe. Some dogs are
remarkably apt and Will gather the idea IN
few trla!s, while Others VII! never COM
prehend your meaning. As soon as they
are trained they are turned loose IN truttie-
bed ana Will move rapidly around with
noses close TO the ground until they scent
the peculiar truiie odor. lhey Will then
negin 10 scratch up the soil and care must
be taken TO stop them or they vii! tear
the truifie to pieces, good dog. however
VIII stop scratching as soon as the truttt-
comes ~ view. Sometimes they are buried
50 deeply that the dogs cannot reach them
hey VIII then he down by the hole and
patiently "a1t ior help. In me southern
part Of France ami lay, so"s, wnch are
Pas,ohately fond oi tratfie>, take the place
ot dog. and ssarcn for them as an article "
Iood- Hunter, follow the so"s around aud
gather the tfuihes as soon as the sow> BE-
gn 70 root
he truifi- bed had m Germany co,t
me ipr rent 'nink, 5000. 80 the trnt-
lies m Hanover iof Sl-15 pound ani male
considerable money lhe. viii average
about tour TO the polnd. lnere Is a com
pany at Prusorj, France. ~np are large
pu. w III 's'e,' .'' ''n' "i 'e're' process