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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



There is another common, though much coarser species of edible 

 mushroom, often mistaken for this one, and sold as such by dealers. 

 Although it resembles the cultivated species, it may be easily distin- 

 guished by its big, ragged ring (Fig. 7), its pithy stem, tending to 

 hollow, and its gills of a dirty-brownish white. It is also much larger, 



Fig. 7. Agakicus Arvensis. 



being sometimes more than a foot across, while the common mush- 

 room rarely exceeds three or lour inches ; in good specimens its 

 top is smooth and snowy white, and it turns of a brownish yellow 

 as soon as broken. It is known as the snowball, or horse-mushroom 

 {A. arvensis). 



On the subject of distinguishing poisonous species, Mr, Cooke says 

 that there is no golden rule which will enable us to tell at a glance 

 the good species from the bad. The only safe guide lies in mastering, 

 one by one, the specific distinctions, and increasing the knowledge 

 through experience, as a child learns to distinguish a filbert from an 

 acorn, or a leaf of sorrel from one of white-clover. The characters of 

 half a dozen good, esculent species, he says, may be learned as easily 

 as the ploughboy learns to discriminate as many species of birds. He 

 tells us, moreover, that it is not enough to avoid poisonous species, 

 but that discretion should be used in preparing and eating good ones. 

 They change so rapidly, that even the cultivated mushroom, if long 

 kept, is unfit for use. Nor is it enough that they be of good species 

 and fresh ; but plenty of salt must be used in their preparation, to 

 neutralize any deleterious property, and pepper and vinegar are also 

 recommended as advantageous. 



Encouraged by these statements, from so distinguished and re- 

 liable an authority, we venture to present the pictures and descrip- 

 tions of three more of the most highly esteemed of the edible fungi, 

 which are common in the United States. 



