EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 193 



salt is sprinkled on underside; avoid those having bright colors, etc., etc. 

 These are only a very few of the rules or so called tests that are supposed 

 by many persons to enable them to discriminate between good and bad 

 fungi. It is not strange that the terrible fatalities, that now and then 

 occur from eating poisonous mushrooms, should be found among the 

 ranks of those who have faith in the above means of discrimination. It 

 is only to be wondered at that they do not occur more often, for while 

 some of these rules might serve to exclude ''The Deadly Amanita" and its 

 noxious relatives, others are no more to be relied upon than is a horse- 

 shoe over the door in an epidemic of smallpox. Furthermore, most of these 

 rules exclude many of our choicest and most abundant food species of 

 mushrooms. 



If then, there is no easy set of rules, no reliable test that will exhibit 

 the danger signal, how is the novice to know when gathering the fungus 

 ofiferings of woods and fields, that he is not placing himself in a fair way 

 to become a subject for the coroner and the undertaker? 



The real question to be answered is, how can we learn to know the 

 edible from the poisonous species of mushrooms and toadstools? 



The popular demand for some short and easy way to make this discrimi- 

 nation, has often led to the adoption of some artificial means in lieu of 

 the only safe and natural method, the use of the botanical characters of 

 each fungus. It is desirable, therefore, in gaining a correct conception of 

 the mushrooms and toadstools, to realize that each kind has certain 

 definite characters which, when familiarized, admit of ready recognition. 

 It is also a well established fact that some species of fungi are whole- 

 some while others are poisonous. Thus it logically follows that if a 

 person is familiar with the specific characters of any species of edible 

 fungus, he may safely collect that species for food. This is the method 

 pursued by many persons who know only one or two kinds, and so long 

 as they have recourse only to those species with which they are familiar 

 they incur no more risks than in the use of other articles of food. There- 

 fore, a preliminary answer to the foregoing question would be, before 

 using any mushroom for food, learn to recognize it by its botanical 

 characters, or at least heconie so familiar ivith its appearance that it can 

 he recognised itncler all circumstances. 



If, in addition to such information, the specific characters of the few 

 poisonous kinds, apt to be met with, are also familiar to the mushroom 

 hunter, an additional safeguard is assured, and one which will enable him 

 to discard those species which are the most common cause of disaster. 

 One of the most encouraging features of this subject, contrary to the usual 

 supposition, is the fact that most of the species of mushrooms and toad- 

 stools are either edible, or are at least possessed of no dangerous quali- 

 ties. And fortunately the comparatively few species, which do possess 

 a dangerous and poisonous principle, also have a structural character 

 which when familiarized, admits of ready identification. 



VEGETATIVE OR EARLY STAGE OP GROWTH. 



To the ordinary observer, mushrooms and toadstools seem to be of 

 spontaneous origin. This is not to be wondered at when we see them 

 standing in profusion, where only a day or two before nothing but grass 

 or bare ground was seen, or on going into the nearby woods, find a 

 familiar log or stump covered with fungus excresences. But that which 

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