The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-07-31
FAIRY RINGS.
A Desirable Species of Mushroom A..
be Found AbOut washington

SHtcltH VI huSh
De Found AbOut Washington
Several species of mushrooms grown,
such fashion on our lawns and
meadows that they often fo>m re pular
and almost perfect rings or circles
These are generally called fairy rim rs
but the term should only be applied e,
the rings of one particular specie,S
known to botanists as Marasmin'
Oreades. TO suit, however, our o,n,
purpose we shall name these fungi fafr,
caps as to their form, and fairy bread
as to their substance, for no dainty lins
of our modern fairies should despise H..
delicate morsel these plants offer ~.
either in their natural state or when
prepared for the table by an expert
hand. The little mushrooms of the
fairy tribe deserve a great deal more
attention than they have received in
the past Their peculiar habits, their
pleasing appearance and great useful.
ness as a delicate food, should mako
them our favorites and proteges.
We have also the opportunity of OBJ
serving a number of fairy rings in our
own beautiful city. Many private and
public parks are decorated with them
The great circle ON the Mall and the
white house grounds have many OF
these, though they might be obliterated
| for a time.
Senator Morrill, seems to have been
particularly favored by the fairies.
M. taI Iacc
rings on the lawn in front of his resi-
dence on Thomas circle. Persisten.
little plants they are, these fairy caps,
Once they have a foothold on favor
able spot they will stay for years, err
| larging their circle with each new crop
Their presence is rather detrimental to
| the sod and grass will not thrive inside
sush rings. The process by which fairy
caps manage to place themselves in
| spite of numerous obstacles, in circle
fashion cannot be satisfactorily ex-
planned here, but undoubtedly the rad-
ating rootlets are the principal factor
in producing this little wonder Of ma
| ture.
1t REQUIRES but little discrimination
to identify any single fungus of the
fairy tribe. We might almost say
| blind man can readily distinguish it
| from the other common lot of small
fungi, such as lawn nails, ink drippers
| and extinguishers, all with delicate thin
stems. In the fairy caps the stem is
also thin, but strong, fibrous, often
twisted, and the lower part hairy and al
most woody. In pulling a cap from the
| ground, the root stalk comes always out
and all that may be attached TO it,.
Groups of from three to five frequently
| grow together, and are solidly attached
| to each other at the base of the stem,
The color of the cap is not Unlike
| chamois leather or untanned kid; She
underside and upper part of stem are
nearly of the same eolar as the cap. 1t
being a white-spored fungus, the nm,
| derlining does not turn dark or black.
but remains light brown. What en-
| titles these mushrooms more than any
| other species to the name of fairy caps
is their unusual faculty of reyiying and
| regaining almost their original fresh
ness whenever they are placed by the
| stem in water. and also owing to their
| preservative qualities, as they remain
| in good condition indefinitely when
kept in dry place. TO persuade Your
self that fairy bread is really sweet and
| pleasant. just taste a small piece OF it
raw, and you will soon learn that it is
| good and wholesome as well. a bunch
of these plants give a more agreeable
| flavor to meat sauce than do the French
champignons. If you are so fortunate
as to find enough of them to make a
meal very dainty dish can be made by
frying them and serving them on toast
The caps should be cut off from The
stems, then thoroughly rinsed and b
kept in sailed water for two hours
after which they are in a condition to bt
| prepared for the feast Of modern fairie'
and other Washington Star