this group the cap itself is replaced by iiunierons branches, which 

 bear the spine-like teeth on their lower surface. 



These three subdivisinns or groups inchide by far the greater 

 part of our edible mushrooms. Familiarity with their distin- 

 guishing features is therefore very important. 



There ar<' rlnce groups remaining, in each of which there are 

 a few edible sjiccies, but they arc not usually considered of much 

 importance. In them the spores are produced directly upon 

 some exposed part of the surface of the fungus, without the in- 

 ten^ention of lamelhe, pores, or spines. A symmetrical cap ami 

 stem are often absent. In one group the substance is tremelloid 

 or gelatinous. By the aid of the following analytical table, our 

 edible sju'cies may be assigned to their respective gron])s: 



FAMILIES OF HYME>;0MYCETE-E. 



Cap present, 1. 



Cap wanting, 2. 



1. Cap with radiating lamellie beneath, Agaricineae. 



1 . Cap with pores beneath, Polyporeae. 



1. Cap or branches with sj)ine-like teeth beneath, Hydnene. 

 1. Caj) with under or spore-bearing surface even, Thelephoreae. 



2. Plant club-shaped and simple, or bush-like and 



branched ; fleshy, Clavarteae. 



2. Plant irregularly expanded; gelatinous, Tremellineae. 

 The Agaricineae, or "'agarics," probably include more edible 

 species than either of the other families. For the sake of con- 

 venience in the identitication of the species, systematists have 

 divided them into smaller groups, depending on the color of the 

 spores. V^^o cannot do better than to follow this arrangement in 

 studying the species. Tt is not a difficult matter to ascertain the 

 color of the spores. Crcnerally they are colored nearly or quite 

 like the lamelhr of the mature plant, but to this there are many 

 exceptions, and to be exact, we must see the spores themselves. 

 To do this witli the naked eye, they shoid<l be collected in 

 a mass, for they are so minute that singly they are invisible with- 

 out the aid of a microscope. To do this, cut the cixp of a fresh, 

 sound, fully-developed mushroom from its stem and place it in 

 its natural position, gills downward, on a piece of white paper, at 

 least as broad as the cap. Tn a short time, say two or three houi*s, 

 it will generally drop enough spores on the paper to show their 

 color on removing the cap. Tf the spores are white — and we 

 may infer that they are so if the mature lamella^ are white — 

 white paper will not be so good for disclosing their color as jiaper 

 of some darker hue. Sometimes, therefore, the cap is placed on 



23 



