Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1891 — Facts About Mushrooms. [ARTICLE]

Facts About Mushrooms.

Indianapolis News. The division of microscopy of the United States Department of Agriculture, in response to numerous demands from various localities, has issued a pamphlet with pictures and descriptions of edible mushrooms. In almost every section and climate are found quantities of these articles, which are little used owing to the inability of the majority of people to distinguish the nutritious from the poisonous varieties. Rollrauseli and Siegel, who have made exhaustive investigation into the food value of the mushrooms, state that many species deserve to be placed next to meat iu nutriment. .Every country in the world produces these fungus growths. Iu France they are widely cultivated iu caves, frequently nples in extent. A cave at Merz contains twenty-one miles in beds and produces 3,000 pounds daily. They are also cultivated in the cata j combs and quarries and. uuder the name of’‘truffles,” are sold in large ouantities. They are grown in Tahiti and Japan, and exported to China at the rate of 200 tons per annum. New Zealand sends large quantities to San Francisco and also to Hong Kong. The Chinese eat it, use it for medicine and make a fine dye out of it. One remarkable specie grows out of the body of a large catepillar. practically converting the animal into a vegetable. Among the tribes of Asia, besides those used for food, one variety is utilized in making snuff, and another for pror„.' , .

during intoxication, one mushroom making a man drunk for a whole day. The same species is alsor? converted into a ‘*fly killer” for European use. The old Greek and Roman writers speak of the truffle, the poletus anc tne puff-ball. In Rome all mush rooms .must be sent to a central de pot to receive government inspection, the yearly crop amounting tc 80.000 pounds. Germany. Hungary and Russia consume large quantities, and in Terre del Fuego it is the sta pie article of food. England uses the common meadow mushrooms, but the consumption is small. America is especially rich in the quantity and variety of this healthful vegetable, and scientists arc making especial effort to stimulate its cultivation and diffuse knowledge regarding it. Rev. Dr. Curtis, State Geologist, has found 111 species in North Carolina. Investigation shows that nearly all the varieties of Europe are found in the United States. The “puff-ball” reaches a circumference of several feet and a weight ol 30 pounds, and the cook may go out into the garden and slice off what she wants from day to day. Mushroom “spawn” may be obtained from the seedsmen, and the mushrooms can be growh in sheds, stables and made very rich. They may be prepared for the table in an endless variety of ways, and are a most delicious but little appreciated article of food. ■ - * .