A treatise on the esculent funguses of England: containing an account of their classical history, uses, characters, development, structure, nutritious properties, modes of cooking and preserving, etc.Badham, David
Science
A treatise on the esculent funguses of England: containing an account of their classical history, uses, characters, development, structure, nutritious properties, modes of cooking and preserving, etc.
Badham, David
Mushrooms -- England
Landes, the _Boletus edulis_ and _Ag. procerus_ are constantly raised
by the inhabitants of that district, from a watery infusion of the said
plants; that something more than this, however, is necessary, seems
certain, since during the two or three years during which I frequented
the baths of Lucca, and was in the habit of using infusions of these
and a variety of other funguses, often throwing them over the very
spots where each kind grew, my experiments never succeeded. Nor was Dr.
Puccinelli, of Lucca, who repeated similar experiments in the botanic
garden there, much more successful. Briganti, of Naples, told me much
the same story; and Sanguinetti at Rome was equally unsuccessful with
Ottaviani at Urbino. On making inquiry of friends in England who have
attempted to propagate different kinds of funguses, either by infusion
or otherwise, their attempts generally failed. My friend Mrs. Hussey, in
particular, acquaints me that she has been in the habit of subjecting
many plants to a like experiment, and with similar want of result.
Lastly, as concerning truffles, Mr. Bornholtz has given directions how
to rear them, which, as they are exceedingly expensive and troublesome,
must needs be infallible to secure proselytes, even among the most sworn
amateurs of these delicacies. “Prepare your ground,” says he, “with oak
leaves in decay; you must also mix some iron with it and take care to
make it of a proper consistence, either by adding sand, should it be too
compact, or clay, should it be of too light a nature; having then with
great care transplanted your truffles, (which must be properly packed
with a quantity of the original mould about them,) they are to be placed
tenderly in the new settlement, covered over lightly with mould, and
this again is to be covered with boughs of oak and _Carpinus Betulus_ to
protect the deposit from molestation; neither must you consider your work
completed till a sacred grove of these particular trees has been planted
round it, which must be done with such precaution, that while they keep
the precious ground in a perpetual twilight, they must not obstruct it
too much, but leave a certain free passage to the air.” After which
injunctions, if they be carefully attended to, Mr. B. assures us that
we can reckon, without fear of disappointment, on a dish of truffles,
whenever we may want them for ourselves or our friends.
FAIRY RINGS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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