MUSHROOMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1128, 16 May 1911, Page 9

MUSHROOMS.

SOME STORIES AND FACTS. (By Frank Schloesser, in the "Pall Mall Gazette.") A Duke of Newcastle, two centuries ago, had a tomato cook ot some renown named C'hioe. General Guise, at the siege of Cnrthngena, saw soino wildlowl on the wing, and. "amid the din of war, he thought of Chloo and her sauces." She. was lamous for her stewed, mushrooms, and Horace Walpolo has a story thereanent. "Poor Dr. Shaw being sent for in great haste to Claremont (tho Duchess had caught a violent cold), and having eaten a lew mushrooms bcloro he set out, was taken so ill that ho was forced to stoj) at Kingston, and, being carried to the first apothecary's, prescribed a medicine for himself which immediately cured him. This catastrophe so alarmed the Duke of Newcastle that he immediately ordered all his mushroom beds to bo destroyed." There are many ways of testing the edibility, or otherwise of mushrooms; appearance, colour, shape, the use of a silver spoon, or an onion in cooking—and others. It is generally agreed, however, that there aro over two hundred varieties which are good to eat, and there aro mushroom devotees who admit to a gastronomical experience of a quarter of that number. On October i, 1877, the Woolhope Club ate a dinner of edible fungi -at the Green Dragon Hotel, Hereford. Several eminent "furigologists," French and German, wero present, and nothing untoward happened, although the omens weie not wanting, for owing to a' quaint chance the word "Poissons" on the bill-of'-i'aro was printed with only one "s." There is an annual Fungus Foray of tho Essex Field Club in Epping Forest, when a goodly number of carefully-prepared mushrooms aro eaten; and the menu of a musiircom dinner given by the Boston Mycological Club includes such dishes as Agaricus Campcstris, Copes an Naturolle, Mushroom Patties, Chop Suey Chinese, Saut? of Mushrooms, and Fairy Rings. Mr. Masrco, of Ktw, n great authority on fungi, is of opinion that as an article of food" mu'-|ii-.v.i:ii« have been much overrated it. the past- He points out Hint owing to their nitrogenous nature they once stood on a par with animal fcod, whereas in K-ality modern analysis proves t!is:l Ihe crmposi'lirm of fungi varies very much in different kinds; and from a nutritive st.uidpoin! the common mushroom, in. kind niojt generally eaten in fhi« country, rank- with cabbage rather lhau with beef. Ani'itig oilier iiitfif-ling facts it is curious In find out that, before the discovery ol Incite: matehfs a large hoof-shaped fungus i'p:'lypnvn.- f<>;iicnterius), growing on tin' trunks c>: tree--, was used, throughout NV>rl'i.:ni L'nvor". tor making amadou, or tinder. The thick brown woody flesh of the same fungus cut into slices and beaten until it assumes the appearance of felt, is used at the present.day in Germany for the manufacture of chest protectors, caps, purses, bedroom slippers, and other articles of commerce. Many of these tilings may be «een in the Cryntoirnmic Room No. 2 Museum, Kow .Garde" =. The mushrooms'sold a* Covent Garden are known as "rmlter-«." "ci.ns." nnd "broilers.", nil sufficiently (Wrintivo names. Duttop-; and runs realise the V"liPst-nnVp<!. lvrnnse of attractive anrp-irnnco nnd pen''ml cii-'ffihiljfy to good r.r.r.Viii':. Ne.irlv all of them nre crown wifVn' !>n tn ; W«f .»nd Hint-th»y nro us e-ood n.c cen K- ic nrnvecl by the tect that. irbp»pn« a dozen vcnr= ri"n ell flip Wr rhnU Inti--!"'! m> t.bp'r rVmnicrnnns frn'm Pp" S , thev are now well content to buy them in London. ,?'■-■ - '.*.' i.".' - ->'