Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-10-24
UTILITY or TOAusTooLs.


Africans Worship Them Hr.a Aslaties Ges
Drunk on Them.
The Ostiaks. the Kamtchadales and
other inhabitants Of Asiatic Russia And
IN one OF the gid bearing family--the
manita muscarius- the exhaiirafion and
madness thai more civilized nations de-
mand and receive Of alcohol, and enicy
Q narcotism from its extracts as saduct-
i've as that II 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 pool and naked"
and their sole aesthetic occupation lies in
ornamenting their limited wardrobe.
The Fiji fishermen, especially yaIue
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 god and
bow down in worship before it. For
this reason Afzeltus has named this va
riety boletus sacer.
A French chemist has extracted wax
from the milk giving kind, but has not
stated the price Of candles made from it,
Others Of the delsing fraternity have
shown that toadstools may be used in the
manufacture Of Prussian blue instead Of
blood, for like certain animal matter,
they furnish prussia 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 it will re-
1 pay the agricuiturist to make use Of them
as manure.
According to Linn@us, the Laps de.
lighted in the perfume of some species
and carried them upon their persons 81
that they might be the more attractive
Linn@us exclaims: 20, Venusi thou thai
scarcely sufficest myself in other coun
tries with jewels. diamonds, preciou,
stones, gold, purple, music and spectacle
are here satisfied With a simple toad
stoolI''
A variety Of boletus--a tube bearinf
species is powdered and used as pro
tector of clothing against insects. Tn,
agaricus muscarius constitutes q wei
known poison to the common housefiy
1t intoxicates them to such degree thai
they can be swept up and destroyed.
| Certain poiyporei- those large, dry
corky growths found upon logs ant
trees-when properly seasoned, slices
and beaten, engages large manufacture
in producing from them the punk o
commerce, used by the surgeon for th
arrest Of hemorrhage, the artist for hi
shading stump, and the 4th Of Jul
urchin for his pyrotechnic purposes.
A species of polyporus is used in Ital
as scrubbing brushes. In countries wher
fire producing is unknown or laboriou
and the luxury OF lucifers denied, tn
dried fungus enables the transportatio
of fire from one place to another owe
great distances. The inhabitants Z
Franconia use them in hammered slice
instead of channels skin for undertaking
Another polyporus takes its plac
among manufactures as the highly nece'
sary razor strop. Northern nations max
/ bottle shoppers of them, as their cork
| nature suggests. The polyporus of til
birch tree (polyporus betulinus) increase
. the delight of smokers by its delicai
flavor when mixed with tobacco. Lii
pincott's Magazine.