INTF^ODUCTION, 



MFW TMVC 



BOTANIC AiL 



yAK»fMI 



Since the issu.' of inv " Studies aiui Illustrations of Mushrooms," 

 as Bulletins nS aiul i^iS of the Cornell University A^iricultural Hx- 

 [X'rinunt Station, llure Uaw Ix'en so many inquiries for them and 

 for literature dealing with a lar^jer number of species, it seemed 

 desirable to publish in book form a selection from the number of illus- 

 trations of these plants which I have accumulated during the past six 

 or seven years. The selection has been made of those species repre- 

 senting the more important genera, and also for the purpose of illus- 

 trafiriCT. ns far as possible, all the genera of agarics found in the United 



'ew cases of the 

 also, illustrative 

 higher fungi, in 



STUDIES OF AMERICAN FUNGI, ETC. 

 CORRECTIONS. 



First thousand, page 143, for Entoniola read Enio- 

 loina. 



First and second thousand, page 86, last line, for au- 

 ratitia read aurantium ; 107, for sulphiiroides read sul- 

 fitrcoides, for 26th read 2^rd ; 139 and 140, for toinento- 

 siilsus read tomeutosuliis ; 158, for crustinuliforme read 

 crust ulinifonne ; 209, for Mycenastrum read Myri- 

 ostonia : 212, 213, for cinnabarina read cinnabarinum ; 

 249. for luridis read luridus ; 265, for Annelaria read 

 Anellaria, and for Chamylotia read Chalytnotta. 



e after consider- 

 for reproducing 

 tant and difficult 



many cases to 

 I. 



tell the mush- 

 iroomsare edible 

 /ery widespread 

 ? toadstools are 

 Dnous being due 





CO 



CT) 



'cc 



Some apply the firm mushroom to a single species, the one in 

 cultivation, and \vhi>,h grows also in fields (Agciridts (diiipc'stris), 

 and call all otlurs toadstools. It is becoming customary with some 

 students to apply the term mushroom to the entire group of higher 

 fungi to which the mushroom belongs {Basidioniycetes), and toad- 

 stool is regarded as a synonymous term, since there is, strictly 

 speaking, no distinction between a mushroom and a toadstool. 

 There are, then, edible and poisonous mushrooms, or edible and 

 poisonous toadstools, as one chooses to employ the word. 



A more pertinent question to ask is how to distinguish the edible 

 from the poisonous mushrooms. There is no single test or criterion, 

 like the "silver spoon" test, or the criterion of a scaly cap, or 

 the presence of a " poison ctip " or " death cup," which will serve 



