Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-10-20
UTILITY OF ~ToApSTooLs.
Africans Worship Them and Asiatics Gel
Drunk ON Them.


Drunk ON Them.
The Ostiaks. the Kamtchadales and
other inhabitants of Asiatic Russia find
in one of the gild bearing family-the
manita muscarius-the eXhaliration and
madness that more civilized nations de-
mand aud receive Of alcohol, and enjoy
a narcotism from its extracts as seduct-
i've as that Of opium.
The Fiji Islanders are indebted TO toad
stools strung on a string for girdles,
which alone prevent them from being
classed among 1.-THE poor and Naked
and their sole aesthetic occupation lies in
ornamenting their limited wardrobe.
The Fiji fishermen, especially, value
them highly because they are water
proof!
Cerdier tells us that the negroes OF the
west OF Africa exalt a certain kind Of
boletus to the sacredness of a god and
bow down in worship before 1t. For
this reason Afzeltus has named this va
riety boletus sacer.
\ French chemist has extracted wax
from the milk giving kind, but has not
stated the price of candles made from it.
Others of the delving fraternity have
shown that toadstools may be used in the
manufacture Of Prussian blue instead Of
blood, for like certain animal matter,
they furnish prussic acid. As fungi,
after the manner OF all animal life,
breathe oxygen and throw of carbonic
acid gas, their flesh partakes of animal
rather than vegetable nature.
In their decomposition they are capital
fertilizers of surrounding plants, and in
seasons when they are PLENTIFUL will re-
pay the agriculturist TO make use OF them
as manure.
According TO Linneus, the Laps de-
lighted in the perfume of some species
and carried them upon their persons so
that they might be the more attractive.
Linnpus exclaims: 20, Venus! thou that
scarcely sufiicest thyself in other coun-
tries with jewels, diamonds, precious
stones, gold, purple, music and spectacle,
are here satisfied with a simple toad
stooll"
A variety Of boletus-a tube bearing
species-is powdered and used as u pro-
tector of clothing against insects. The
agaricus muscarius constitutes a well
known poison to the common housefly.
1t intoxicates them TO such a degree that
they can he swept up and destroyed.
Certain polyporei-those large, dry,
corky growths found upon logs and
trees-when properly seasoned, sliced
and beaten, engage large manufactures
in producing from them the punk Of
commerce, used by the surgeon for the
arrest of hemorrhage, the artist for hi:
shading stump, and the 4th Of July
urchin for his pyrotechnic purposes.
A species of polyporus is used in Italy
as ~scrubbing brushes. In countries where
fire producing is unknown or laborious
and the luxury Of lucifers denied, the
dried fungus enables the transportation
Of fire from one place TO another owe
great distances. The inhabitants OF
Franconia Use them in hammered slice.
instead of channels skinf for underclothing
Another polyporus takes its plaa
among manufactures as the highly neces
sary razor strop. Northern nations MAKE
bottle shoppers of them, as their corky
nature suggests. The ~polyporus of the
birch tree polyporus betulinus) increases
the delight Of smokers by its delicate
flavor when mixed with tobacco.-Lip
~pincott's Magazine.