The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-10-18
THINGS WORTH KNOWING
Ap0IIr MUSHROOMS.


Tn the dark shade of lofty pine trees
and under spreading oaks in more open
woods a mushroom is found SO felnaTk.
abIe in color and graceful in form that
Sic beauty has excited admiration 1or
hundreds of years. The color OF us
bright orange cap and Its chalk WHITE
stem and gil!s is heightened by tae sur
So,,ndinp Of the wood and
presents a contrast O. is"
beautiful. 80
But beneath the pleasing exterior OF
this brilliant fungus a poison turks SO
fatal to the lives of men n cattle that
1t is called the deadly m ana IN
different countries mothers cautlon
their children to beNslre of its charms.
Amanita muscaria, the deadly, or fly.
manita, is completely encased In a
heece-like covering during the early
stages of it's growth, which makes II
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 a
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-
nounced characteristics which are most
helpful in distinguishing this dangerous
fungus from the other varieties OIL
mushrooms.
1t is strong, free from pests n
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 it's base.
This mushroom is more generally
known than any of the other poisonous
species. 1t has long been used as a
fly poison in Europe. and it takes it's
name, muscaria, from the Latin word
for a fly. Its poisonous effect upon hui
mar beings begins a few hours after
it has been eaten. The symptoms are
nausea and faintness, with cold per-
SEPARATION 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
it must be promptly administered by
~hypoderlnic 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 nan in the
closed hand or breathing its -exhala-
tons in a warn oon
Ii poisonous mushrooms are packed
I'm the same box with edible ones the
virus from the poisonous fungi is alb
NV tho HARMLESS n1l1Shrpnrpc
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 and
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 up in the air to dry, or they are
sometimes picked fresh and put into
soup or sauces. :. 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, milk that mushroom,
1T has a smooth, satiny cap. 1t is
usually Whlte or straw cOlOred, but
specimens are found which are light
brown, green, yellow and spotted. The
stem is white and nearly smooth, and
the cup 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 and may be told by it's
color, which is a creamy white
throughout.
The boleti, for instance, nave 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, and change color to blue or
red when cut or broken. The edible
varieties remain wi,ite.-Annie Cakes
Huntington in Youths Companion.