“The earlier history of the field agaric in cultivation remains... to be worked up from the scattering references. ...this species was cultivated in France during the reign of Louis XIV, and it is certain also that it was considered a luxury a century or two earlier. Tournefort has left an interesting note, under date of 1707, of the cultural operations of his period. While little was then known of the life relations of the organism, it appears that the requisite conditions for successful culture were clearly appreciated. No mention is made of the cultivation in caves at this time. In fact, it does not appear that the underground quarries in and near Paris, which are now the famous mushroom gardens of the world, were commonly used for growing prior to the beginning of the 19th century. Among the references which can be had from early Greek or Roman authors, however, no evidence has been brought to my attention indicating that any special consideration was accorded this species in those times.”
