New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-27
POISONOUS MUSHROOMS.
A GOVERNMENT CIRCULAR or THE SUR
JECT-THE FLY MUSHROOM

Washington correspondence The Boston Transcript
The death Of Count Achilles de Necchi from
mushroom poisoning last week In Washington has
Agriculture 4 hastily pgrrparing circular on the
iished within fortnight Just at this season every
year many lives lost IN consequence OF the ig-
hoped that accidents OF the kind viii bc made
fewer b. the dissemination OF accurate Information
in question viii be Illustrated with haif-tone pic
lures OF the principal varieties that arc 10 he avoid
inasmuch as no less than eight hundred poisonous
sorts OF mushrooms known to-day. while many
1t is unfortunately The fact that poisonous plant.
can only be IDENTIFIED tns sYGs nopsh ra O..
Of 1G h%s Sfen
the road OF human progress in that line may be
rsid to be strewn with tho skeletons OF vlctims
annually from eating toadstools-the word toad
stool being merely term iDr IahrSi
or three species OF mushrooms arc commonly used
for the table. but there are many more edible
bio the non-eiite ones as to deceive even persona
who consider themselves fairly expert. II was
deaths from Following that Of tho Count de vecchI
The dealer who sold the fatal mushrooms to HIN
OF them. Happily the health officers hunted him
Yet. be it understood. these mushrooms were Of a
kind rather rare They were OF the species known
woods or on the borders OF woods and their tops
brilliant red or orange yellow. But BY reason
OF their conspicuous UntS fney are frequently gain
cred and eatcn-practicaliy always with fatal re-
suits They are popularity known az the ny mush-
ROOM" because they are extremely attractive TO
single specimen has been known 10 KIN pint OF
fes in n day. so poisonous liz the fly mushroom
that a piece OF one that is only as large as pea
will kill man One OF tho worst points about II Is
that II produces no symptoms for some time after
II Is eaten. IL has bad taste. and no uneasiness
is felt by the victim until from nine to fourteen
hours afterward, when vomiting and diarrhoal
symptoms resembling those OF Aslatlc cholera set
In. II is then too late to administer emetcs Coma
supervcnes. and the end soon arrives.
This mushroom Is sometimes called tho false or
ange," because Of its resemblance to tho Amanitn
cnsarea not distanty related to II. The latter is
perhaps the most delicious OF all mushrooms. and
quite harmless. while ago a man in Oregon
wrote to the Department OF Agriculture saying
with this mail send you what ! shall call the
poultry mushroom until you give me a better
name for It. In Its habits II seems link be-
tween vegetable and animal life IL lives In Or and
pushes itself up through the ground and sits up
egg to that OF giant goose egg The period OF the
hatch depend. upon the degree Of humidity and
heat in the atmosphere. Generally It requires about
three days. One other quality Il has In common
WIN is Slped relative-i sometimes dies and rO''
The mushroom inclosed with this letter was the
deadly Amanita muscaria, or ny mushroom II is
certainly weird example OF plant development
When IT first appears above ground II has the as
egg After a while the egg "hat ches"-L e.. bursts
and the umbrella shaped mushroom grows out OF
IT, The lower part OF the 'esgshelr' remains. en-.
velopins the bottom Of the stalk IKE cup. while
Fragments of the shell adhere to the sticky top
These fragments give the top an unpleasant look
az II II covered with warts. On the whole the
surprising that many people should take the
chance OF eating II. very small bit OF IL has been
| known 10 make persons intoxicated. 40 that they
staggered about and did all sorts OF absurd things