THE PLANT WORLD 27 



meution it as being on sale in the markets of that country under the 

 name of Ble-udtz or Blewits. The name, it is supposed, being a corrup- 

 tion of " blue hats," having reference to the blue color of the caps, and 

 indicating as well the long use of the plant for food. 



The fungus is a late fall species, generally occurring from the mid- 

 dle of September till freezing weather. It grows in woods among de- 

 cayed leaves, or in earth in which there is considerable old manure or 

 Avell rotted straw. Li rich soil the caps often attain a large size, some- 

 times reaching fully five inches in breadth of pileus. Under such con- 

 ditions the plant also shows a tendency to grow in clusters, while in 

 the woods it is most apt to be solitary. This variation would lead one 

 to think that the fungus might be successfully cultivated artificially. 

 In his recent work on fungi, Capt. Mcllvaine * recommends covering 

 patches of this fungus with straw or old manure to prolong their use- 

 fulness. Should one ever be fortunate enough to grow this fungus, it 

 would have many advantages over the common field mushroom, for 

 beside the fact that it is far superior in flavor, it may be kept more 

 than twice as long after picking. It also dries easily, and though no 

 record is to be found of any one eating the dried plants, the pleasant 

 odor of the herbarium specimens indicates that they are not likely to 

 prove inferior in flavor to other dried mushrooms. 



The specific characters of this plant are so strongly marked, that 

 it could hardly be mistaken for any harmful species. As before stated, 

 it is much like both Cortiiiariits violuceas and Tricholoma nudum,, but as 

 these species are also edible, no danger would result if the species are 

 confused. There exists no reason for carelessness, however, since 

 among the many undescribed species of fungi there may be harmful 

 ones closely resembling it. Unceasing vigilence is alone the price of 

 safety for a mushroom eater. 



Cooked in any of the common w^aj^s this mushroom is good, but 

 ])erhaps the finest flavor is given by cooking them in a little butter in a 

 very hot skillet. They should be covered till tender to retain the flavor, 

 then allowed to brown for a few minutes and served either alone on a 

 hot dish, or on slices of hot buttered toast. 



Washington, D. C. 



* Mcllvaine, One Thousand American Mushrooms, 79-80. 



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