scon it i.'i'<i\\'in<^' here Inter tliaii .lime. It is cspeciailv fund of 

 lijilit, sandy soil, under, or in the vicinity of pine trees, but it re- 

 quires eonsiderable moisture, and it is to he sought in rainy 

 %veather, or in wet, sj)ringv places. 



Tlie French author, Cordier, says that it has an agreeable 

 taste, and is hiiihly esteemed, and that it is sold in rjcrmany as a 

 true morel. Tliough I have repeatedly eaten it without experi- 

 \eneing evil consequences, its Havor to mc is not that of a tirst- 

 class nuishroom. But then it w'as simply fried in butter and sea- 

 soned; j^erhaps with more elaborate preparation it might be bet- 

 ter flavored. Care should be taken by those eating it to use it 

 with moderation, and not to keep it too long before cooking. 

 Sickness has bi'cii known to result from eating freely of a quan- 

 tity of it which had been kept twenty-four hours. 



Of the remaining helvellas that have been used for food when 

 tliey could be procured in suificient quantity, the White helvella, 

 //. crispa, differs fr(nn all the others in its color, which is white, 

 both in its cap and stem. It, and all our other species, are small- 

 er than the Edible helvella, and tliev are more scarce and only 

 found in the woods. They are also later in the time of their ap- 

 pearance, occurring from midsummer to autumn. They are re- 

 puted to he excellent eating, atid all similar in flavor, but from 

 their scarcity and small size it is haixlly worth while to give a de- 

 tailed description of each. Tor the benefit of those who may 

 wish to identify them, should they be fortunate enough to meet 

 with them, their names and the following analytical table are 

 given. Their names are — AVhite helvella, 11. crispa; Cinereous 

 or T>lnck-to]i helvella. H. lacunom ; Sulcate helvella, H. sulcata; 

 ^litre-shaped helvella, IF. infula; and the Elastic helvella, H. 

 elastica. 



AXALYTICAL TABLE. 



Stems furrowed lengthwise. 1. 



Stems not furrowed. 3. 



1 . Plant wholly white, 77. crispa. 



1 . Plant not white or only part white. 2. 



2. Stem interruptedly furrowed, 77. lacunosa. 



2. Furrows of the stem not interrupted, 77. sulcata. 



3. Stem short, stout : cap mitre-shaped, H. infula. 

 3. Stem long, slender; cap not mitre-shaped, TT. elastica. 



The irregular mitrula, Mitnila vHclliiin var. irrei/Khiris. and 

 several of the larger species of Cup-fungi fPczizas), belong to 

 this class, and are known to be edible, but because of their scar- 

 city and small size, further notice of them is omitted. 



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