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.
Figure 249.—Agaricus campestris. Two-thirds natural size.
Agaricus Rodmani. Pk.
Rodman's Mushroom. Edible.