192 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



SOME POPULAR ERRORS ABOUT MUSHROOMS. 



Much of the uncertainty which to many persons seems to attend the 

 collecting of the edible fungi is fostered by the many popular errors con- 

 cerning the true nature of these plants and the means by which they may 

 be identified. These mistaken notions, which often amount to superstition, 

 are largely due to the fact that a large part of the development of these 

 plants is hidden from view. Consequently their ways are shrouded in 

 mystery to the average observer. Then, too, their sudden appearance 

 coupled with the fact that they often grow in dark, damp places where 

 most other plants do not thrive, lends to them an unnatural, strange 

 or uncanny aspect which may often prove a fertile source of suggestion 

 to the superstitious mind. 



Thus it seems to be no uncommon belief that in some mysterious way 

 toads have something to do with them, hence the term toadstool, which 

 suggests to the imaginative mind the picture of a toad squatting on top 

 of one of these plants. It is to be very much doubted if any person ever 

 saw a toad in such an unusual and uncomfortable position. Moreover 

 many of them are incapable of supporting the weight of even the smallest 

 toad, while others often grow where no toad has ever been. In fact there 

 is no more foundation for such a belief than there would be for an idea 

 that toads cause the growth of other plants near which they may happen 

 to be found. 



One very common error in the use of these terms is that a mushroom 

 and a toadstool are two distinct things, hence the oft repeated query, 

 "How do you tell a mushroom from a toadstool?" To the surprise of the 

 inquirer the answer of the botanist is that there is no difference. This 

 leaves the matter in greater doubt than before. The person who is able 

 to recognize one fungus as edible usually applies to it the term mushroom 

 and calls all others toadstools; while another person may be familiar 

 with the edible qualities of a number of kinds and use the same method 

 of naming them. Thus it will be seen that what would be a toadstool to 

 one person, would be a mushroom in the vocabulary of another, and with 

 equal propriety in each case, therefore the synonymy of the two terms 

 is established through popu-lar usage. Moreover, no scientific distinction 

 is made between these two terms. It is evident, therefore, that there are 

 edible toadstools as well as poisonous mushrooms. 



This question is also suggestive of the prevalent idea that there is some 

 short and reliable test or rule that can be applied and which like a lucky- 

 stone, will guide its possessor in the selection of the good and the avoid- 

 ance of the harmful kinds of fungi. Thus the collector of fungi for 

 scientific purposes is often warned, by the persons whom he meets, against 

 eating any of the specimens in his basket, while some sure and time- 

 honored formula is condescendingly proffered. The expressions of amaze- 

 ment and incredulity on the faces of these persons when told that all of 

 your specimens except, perhaps, two or three, are edible, are often amus- 

 ing to see. 



Many otherwise well informed persons claim to be able to "tell a 

 mushroom" by some such test as the following: The cap must peel readily; 

 they are pink underside; they should not blacken a silver spoon in cook- 

 ing; must have no disagreeable taste nor odor; should turn dark when 



