Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-02
POISONOUS MUSHROOMS.
Deaily Agarios Which Prudent People
Will Avoid
HOW They May he Distinguished--
FREAKS I'm Toadstoois-Sonaes Species
Look Dangerously Innocent.

So many people have been poisoned this
autumn by dangerous mushrooms that the
subject has been taken up by the coraic
papers, one of which makes a little child
inquire: IF they eat up all the toadstools
what will the toads do when they want 10
sit DOWN.
Dr. Thomas Taylor microsconist az the
Department of Agriculture. who piopabiy
knows more about such things than any
other man living, has made a special study
of poisonous mushrooms. He is acquainted
with them all. from some merely question:
able species up to the deadly "amanita-"
To writer for The Star he showed a spec
linen of the latter. preserved in alcohol.
III mas very feshy root and the top 10
covered with unpleasant looking warts.
Ihis is the most poisonous of all inush-
rooms. Its top is scarlet. Or sometimes
yellow. In pine and birch woods II often
grows in such profusion as TO redden the
ground. A piece of IL only as big as a
pea is fatal dose. The worst point about
1t is that ii does not produce any alarm
ing symptoms Immediately. -Four OF nvs
hours after IL is eaten, when ~ has teen
dlsested and emetics are useless, AZ takes
effect. The victim sinks into a comatose
condition. and death soon follows
one reason why this agaric is SO danger
Gus Is that il resembles another and quite
harmless species. which is perhaps the
most delicious OF all mushrooms. The two
are nearly related, and IL seems strange
that they should diEer so widely In their
properties. But the world Of fungi is In
of oddities. The "toadstooIs all useiess
and bad mushrooms are pop9larly known.
by that name-are many Of .hem freaks
In vegetation. assuming curious forms ana
faar
one Of the most remarkable of them in
the extremely deadly wood WITCH" krlwa
10 science as the 4. i.npadicus. In aodi-
ton TO its repulsive appearance its smell
rs SO horrible that a single whiff OF IN IA
enough 10 put any ordinary person To pre-
cipltate hight. Nevertheless, a has actually
been eaten. Another unpleasant species 10
the Nercigris" mushroom. Its s,efI In
long, hollow and scaly, while The GOD IN
covered with a disgusting green mucus
us looks Will suffice TO warn Tlos- People
against IT, one odd feature of il is that
IL goes TO rot almost at once as II AZ was
too unhealthy to live lrng.
Along roadsides and in pastures, gathered
IN groups on old tree slumos. are fc,4nd
the poisonous red juice" mushrooms. Treir
tops are crimson or deep ORANGE ana the
stems are hollow. Another variety OF ann
anita that is supposed To he deadly ~ who'll
~ white In all its parts. I.eing fo,.ne IN
The woods in spring time, 1t is COMMONLY
known as the spring" mushroom Less
likely to be fatal because of .ts effect ON
mushroom
In other respects ii is one of the worst
species IL has bright scarlet or rose
colored top sometimes shaded with purple.
The skin Is readily peeled on. exposing the
Whte nesn. The stem Is white.
Deadly Variety.
One of the most deadly mushrooms n
known as the ''trellised clathrus" 1t fs
very handsome TO look at. but the smell OF
II is horrible. Young ones do not have this
smell sometimes. however Another bad
kind is the rudy milk mushroom. Its
color is dark red. and when it is bruised a
white milk exudes. which is extremely acrid
and corrosive. A similar fluid is distilled
by yet another dangerous agaric called the
hery-milk mushroom. This milk, when
touched to the lips tongue produces a
sensation as Of scalding or soaring with a
hot iron. The plant is white ana the flesh
is firm ana solid. Some authorities assert
that this mushroom is rendered harmless
by proper cooking
Thus ii would appear that the mushroom
lover should make a study OF the theory of
This subject before going out TO gather
1ungl in the woods and fields. The knowI-
edge now possessed by science as 10 poison
Gus agarics represents the sum OF lessons
taught by nobody knows how many thou
sands of deaths. IL has been possible to
clstIEg uish the escuient species from those
which are poisonous only by trial In gem
s.
picion whose flesh changes 10 a blue or
greenish color on contact with the air as
should also those having a disagreeabie or
hauseatlnS odor, or OF which the taste is
act1d and biting the flesh soft spongy
hard or corky. On the contrary, the nesh
OF edible mushrooms is usually firm but
tender, exhaling an odor OF freshly ground
meal
Mushrooms are so excellent a food that
he and health may be sustained 10y means
OF tneia exclusively. \ number of invesri-
gators have made experiments in this sii-
rection, nourishing themselves wholly for
months upon such fungi. II is stated that
a mountaineer OF Thurngia lfvet ON fnush-
rooms ana nothing else for thirty years, and
died a celltenarlan. IL should be Haatipn.-i
that only young ana Weil-preservei specl-
mems should be eaten. because the best
mushroom, when over-matured, may become
dangerous as food commencing decou1lo-
sitlon rendering it irritable and indi2estfbla
obFlously.an admirable precautlon against
MISTAKES IN mushrooms il TO grow them
aIlihclaIy. IL seems strange that no at
Tempt Was made TO cultivate them until
me seventeenth century, by use of spawn
before that time, however, people used 10
transfer young living mushrooms from pas.
lures 10 gardens ana manure heaps. In ae-
c;lylng they seeded the ground Nfth rhair
spores. thus forming; mushroom beds. when
me son provided MAS suitable The spawn
was irst sought by gardeners in meadow
iahu ehat had been utiiizsd for past.lIns.
How It is Produced.
The manufacture OF artificial mushroom
spawn Is rather curious industry liz il
produced in the shape of bricks, and the
Drick spawn used ia this country is made
In England. TO begin with, horse drop
pings, COW manure ana loan are beaten up
together into a mortar-Iike consistency, the
mixture being formed into bricks not far
from the Size OF common building bricks.
These bricks are put in dry place, and
after Few days biz of spawn as big as a
hazel nut is placed in the center of each.
Then The bricks are placed in a hot bed.
the conditions thus established causing the
spawn to spread through the bricks Ike
fine white mold. Finally the bricks are
dried in the dark.
They are then ready TO be sold. Persons
engaged in the culture OF mushrooms buy
them, break them into pieces anu plant the
latter in be1s OF manure covered with loan.
/ Ihe mycelium spreads through the bed with
great rapidly, ana a crop of mushrooms
! follows within a few weeks. The bricks
Will keep as long as twenty years IL Is
said. preserving their Vegct3tiVe powers.
Keeping the spawn dry merely suspends
its growth. As soon il is again SUBJ
mitted 10 favorable conditions OF moisture
and heat It's activity returns and IL sprouts.
When possible the virgin spawn. as IL is
called. from pasture land. is used in the
,,rr foe Of Ia brio