214 THE PLANT WORLD 



stools, but iu such a case we must also say that all toadstools arA mush- 

 rooms.* 



We have between eight and nine hundred different species of miish- 

 rooms in the eastern part of the United States, and of these at least six 

 hundred and fifty have been proven edible by students of the mushroom 

 world, leaving only a small number as poisonous, and of the condemned 

 ones some will sooner or later be proven edible. 



A frequent question is, which are poisonous and which are non- 

 poisonous ? We are sorry to state that no rule can be given that will 

 separate the poisonous from the non-poisonous ones. Various attempts 

 have been made to give a rule or rules to separate the good from the bad, 

 but such rules are too often worse than worthless. The only way by 

 which we can determine the quality of anything is- — test it yourself, or 

 allow some one else to do it for you. In other words, a mushroom is 

 found good or bad by allowing it to pass through one's own stomach, or 

 else by noting its effect upon some lower animal. This may seem crim- 

 inal at first thought, yet not so when we find that very small pieces of 

 mushroom can be eaten, even of the poisonous varieties, without fatal 

 results. Thus, when you wish to test a mushroom, take a small piece of 

 the one in question, eat it and note the results ; if it makes you feel ill, 

 leave it alone and label it as poisonous. A few of our mushrooms are 

 poisonous to some people and non-poisonous to others. In case no 

 bad effect is produced by eating a small piece, eat a larger piece and 

 again carefully note the results. Care should be taken in not increas- 

 ing the doses too much at a time, or else injury may result from so 

 doing. The smell and taste of any species of mushroom is by no means 

 a criterion, for some have a very pleasant taste and yet are deadly poison- 

 ous ; others are unpleasant to taste and smell, but are after all very deli- 

 cious when properly prepared. 



Our friends also frequently ask us, " which are the best species ?" 

 To this query we would reply — that the deliciousness of any mushroom 

 depends largely upon the idiosyncrasy of the individual. Some persons 

 consider tomatoes a great and important dish ; others find them pleas- 

 ing only at a great distance. Some prefer sour apples, others sweet 

 ones, and so on through the whole list of different articles of diet. The 

 common Morchellae, found about apple stumps, walnut stumps, and on 

 ashes and cinders, are considered a great luxury in our vicinity, even 

 amongst those who doubt the good qualities of hundreds of other varie- 

 ties. The beefsteak mushroom, which grows from trees, roots and 

 stumps, is highly esteemed by the writer and his friends. It can be 

 found in August and September, growing like large tongues from trees 



*NoTE. — The term mushroom is generally applied to supposedly edible species and 

 the term toadstool to supposedly poisonous species. — Ed. 



