t is the only species which is sure to
respond to the methods of cultivation.

It is the same species which is bought in cans at the store.

In very young plants the pileus is somewhat globular, as will be seen in
the small plants in the front row in Figure 248. The edge is connected
with the stem by the veil; then round convex, then expanding, becoming
almost flat; surface dry, downy, even, quite scaly, varying in color
from creamy-white to a light-brown; margin extending beyond the gills,
as will be seen in Figure 249 in the one on the extreme right.

The gills, when first revealed by the separation of the veil, are of a
delicate pink hue, but with advancing age this generally deepens to a
dark-brown or blackish-brown color.

The stem is rather short, nearly equal, white or whitish; the substance
in the center is more spongy than the exterior, hence it is said to be
stuffed. Sometimes the collar shrivels so much that it is scarcely
perceptible, and may disappear altogether in old plants. The spores are
brown in mass. The cap of this mushroom is from three to four inches in
diameter and the stem from one to three inches long.

This is the first mushroom that yielded to cultivation. It is raised in
large quantities, not only in this country, but especially in France,
Japan, and China. No doubt other species and genera will be produced in
time.

This species grows in grassy places, in pastures, and richly manured
grounds, never in the woods. I found it in great abundance in Wood
County, in fields which had never been plowed and where the ground was
unusually rich. There it seemed to grow in groups or large clusters.
Usually it is found singly. Found from August to October. The plants
figured here were found near Chillicothe.

[Illustration: Figure 249.--Agaricus campestris. Two-thirds natural
size.]

_Agaricus Rodmani. Pk._

RODMAN'S MUSHROOM. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 250.--Agaricus rodmani. Two-thirds natural size.]

The pileus is creamy, with brownish spots, firm, surface dry. The mature
specimens frequently have the surface of the cap broken into large,
brownish scales.

The gills are whitish, then pink, becoming dark-brown; narrow, close and
unequal.

The stem is fleshy, solid, short, thick, about two inches long. The
collar when well developed exhibits a striking characteristic. It
appears as if there were two collars with a space between them. Its
spores are broadly elliptical, .0002 to .00