Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-10-19
THINGS WORTH KNOWING
An0tiT, MUSHROOMS.

A6OO j !"
In the dark shade of lofty pine trees
snd Under spreading oaks In more open
woods a mushroom Is found SO remark
able In color and graceful in form that
its beauty has excited admiration Tor
hundreds of years. The Color oI us
hrigbt orange cap and it's chalk white
stem and gills is heightened by the sur
rounding darkness of the WOODS n
presents a contrast as singular as ~ 10
beautiful.
But beneath the pleasing exterior OF
this brilliant fungus a poison turks so
fatal to the lives of men n cattle that
it is called the deadly amanlta, n IN
different countries mothers caution
their children to beware OF It's charms.
Amanita muscaria, the deadly, or ny,
amanita. is completely encased In a
heece-like covering during the early
stages of it's growth, which make 1t
decidedly egg-shaped in form. AS the
stem lengthens this covering either ad-
heres in loose patches to the top OF the
cap or it slips away and forms q
sheathing to the cup at the base of the
stem.
Another inner covering breaks away
in it's turn from the cap as the muSh-
room expands and forms a conspicuous
collar about the upper part OF the stem.
The Dubious base of the stem n these
ruptured, fleecy coverings are pro-
ounce characteristics which are most
helpful in distinguishing this dangerous
fungus from the other varieties OF
mushrooms.
1t is strong, free from pests and
grows TO a height from fourteen to six
teen inches. In color the cap is some
times bright scarlet, again orange or
yellow or reddish in the center and
light yellow toward the edges, and it
has noticeable wartlike patches spread
over the top. On old plants the color
fades out and late in the season par
ticularly 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 thar any Of the other poisonous
species. 1t has long been used as a
fly poison in Europe, n 1T k its
name, muscaria, from the Latin word
for a fly. It's poisonous effect upon hui
man beings begins a few hours after
1t has been eaten. The symptoms are
nausea and faintness, with cold per-
spiration 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 a physician
should be called. Sulphate of atropin
is the only known chemical antidote
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 amanita in the
closed hand or breathing it's exhala-
lions in q warm room.
If poisonous mushrooms are packed
in the same box with edible ones the
virus from the poisonous fungi is abb
sorbed by the harmless mushrooms,
and they become as dangerous to eat
as the original offenders.
In certain countries the deadly anna
nita seems to lose some Of it's virulen-
cy, and in the north of Russia n
parts of northeastern Asia it is used
in the same manner as wine for its
Intoxicating effects. The mushrooms
are gathered in hot weather and are
hung VI in the air to dry, or they are
sometimes picked fresh and put into
soup or auces A small amount swal-
lowed whole Is enough to produce a
days intoXication.
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 SO highly colored as the deadly
amanita, and, unlike hat mushroom,
It has a smooth, satiny cap. 1t Us
usually white or straw colored. but
specimens are found which are light
brown, green, yellow and spotted. The
stem is white and nearly smooth, and
the u at the base of the stem is in
variably present.
The death cup is even more poison
Gus than the deadly amanita and stands
first among all noxious fungi for it's
poisonous qualities. 1t grows in the
eastern and middle states and in par
ticularly large quantities near the city
of Washington.
Another amanita (Amanita %vernus),
found in the woods in spring, is also
very poisonous n may be told by it's
color, which is a creamy white
throughout.
The boleti, for instance, have sew
eral varieties which are nonedible, al
though many kinds, on the other hand,
make delicious food. The boleti are
distinguished by a spongelike surface
Of pores instead of gills beneath the
cap. The harmful varieties are bitter,
as a rule, n change color to blue or
red When cut or broken. The edible
varieties remain white.-Annie Cakes
Huntington in Youths Companion.