The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-11-01
DEADLY MUSHROOMS.
THE BEAUTIFUL BUT VENOMOUS
AMANlTA FAMILY.

Beneath the Pleasing Exterior of
This brilliant Fungus LurAs
Vicious Poison That Is Fatal DO the
Lives of Men and Cattle.
In the dark shade Of lofty pine trees
and under spreading oaks In more
open woods mushroom Is found so
remarkable In color and graceful In
form that Its beauty has excited ad-
mlration for hundreds Of years. The
color of its bright orange cap and its
chalk white stem and gills is height
ened by the surrounding darkness of
the woods and presents a contrast as
singular as 1t is beautiful.
But beneath the pleasing exterior OF
this brilliant fungus poison turks so
fatal to the lives of men and cattle
that 1t Is called the deadly amanita,
and in different countries mothers eau
tion their children to beware of Its
charms.
Amanita muscarla, the deadly, or
fly, amanita, Is completely incased in
feece-like covering during the early
stages of its growth, which makes 1t
decidedly egg shaped In form. As
the stem lengthens this covering either
adheres in loose patches to the top of
the cap or it slips away and forms a
sheathing to the cup at the base of the
stem.
Another inner covering breaks away
In Its turn from the cap as the musb-
room expands and forms conspicuous
collar about the upper part of the
stem. The bulbous base Of the stem
and these ruptured, feecy coverings
are pronounced characteristics which
are most helpful in distinguishing this
dangerous fungus from the other varie.
ties Of mushrooms.
1t Is strong, free from pests and
grows to u height from four to sixteen
Inches, In color the cap is sometimes
bright scarlet, again orange or yellow
or reddish In the center and light yel-
low toward the edges, and II has no
tlceable wartilke patches spread over
the top. On old plants the color fades
out, and late In the season particularly
forms Of the deadly amanita are found
which are almost white. The stem Is
easily separated from the cup at Its
base.
This mushroom is more generally
known than any of the other poison
GUS species. 1t has long been used as
a fly poison In Europe, and 1t takes its
name, muscaria. from the Latin word
for fly. Its poisonous effect upon hui
man beings begins few hours after
1t has been eaten. The symptoms are
nausea and faintness, with cold per-
splration and stupor, followed In Sc
we're cases by death from a gradual
weakening of the heart.
A strong emetic should be given at
once, and In all cases physician
should be called. Sulphate OF atropin
Is the only known chemical antldOte
for this poison, and to save the patient
1t must be promptly administered by
hypodermic injections.
The poison may also be absorbed
through the pores Of the skin, and bad
cases Of poisoning have been produced
by simply holding an amanlta In the
closed hand or breathing Its exhala-
tions In warm room.
II poisonous mushrooms are packed
In the same box with edible ones the
virus from the poisonous fungi is alb
sorbad nv tho harmlasS mushrooms
and they become as dangerous to eat
as the original offenders.
In certain countries the deadly anna.
nita seems to lose some of Its virulen-
cy, and In the north Of Russia and
parts of northeastern Asia 1t is used In
the same manner as wine for Its In
toxicating effects. The mushrooms are
gathered In hot weather and are hung
up In the air to dry or they are some
times picked fresh and put into soup
or sauces. A small amount swallowed
whole is enough to produce days in
toxication.
Another fatally dangerous member
Of the amanita family is the death
cup (Amanita phalloides), a beautiful
mushroom which also grows in the
woods, especially in pine forests. 1t is
not 30 highly colored as the deadly
amanita, and, unlike that mushroom,
1t has a smooth, satiny cap. 1t is usu.
ally white or straw colored, but speci.
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