346 



In conclusion, it should be said that there is a wide field 

 of unused food products which may be made valuable 

 articles of domestic consumption; these products are pro- 

 duced by nature with a lavish hand. The use of them as an 

 article of food requires careful discrimination to distinguish 

 the edible from the deleterious, but the discrimination of 

 certain useful species when they are once known is as sim- 

 ple as the discrimination of cereals, or small fruits. Species 

 are as clearly marked as among higher plants and the char- 

 acters are just as constant. There is much to be done (1) 

 In further learning what species occurring in this state, are 

 useful for food ; (2) In methods of cultivation or of extend- 

 ing the natural season of the native plants, and (3) In 

 methods of preserving the plants so that they may serve as 

 an article of export, or be made available for domestic use 

 after their natural or prolonged season has passed by. 



Literature. 



The literature relating to the edible fungi that can be rec- 

 ommended is unfortunately not very extended, corres- 

 ponding with the slight extent to which the plants are used 

 in this country. In Germany where fungi form a common 

 article of diet, small works with colored illustrations of from 

 forty to fifty edible and poisonous species can be obtained 

 for a mark and a half (about thirty-five cents). The only 

 work of a similar kind published in this country is Gibson's 

 "Our Edible Toadstools and Mushrooms" which costs seven 

 dollars and a half. Mr. Gibson has, however, an article in 

 Harper's Monthly for August, 1894, that is valuable as far as 

 it goes, giving good black and white illustrations of several 

 species. 



The Agricultural Experiment stations have published 

 very little on this subject. Dr. Sturgis of the Connecticut 

 station has recently issued (Annual Report for 1895) an ex- 

 cellent account of edible and poisonous fungi, illustrated 

 by a series of half-tone plates which unfortunately do not 

 bring out the best results. The U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture has issued under the title of " Food Products," an 

 account of various edible and poisonous fungi with fairly 

 good colored plates. Nos. I, II and III have been issued 

 already. The "Report of the Microscopist for 1892," issued 

 from the same authority, also contains some illustrations. 

 Dr. Earlow of Cambridge, also published " Notes for Mush- 

 room Eaters" in Garden and Forest, Nos. 309-314 (Jan., 

 Feb., 1894). Beyond the above, little American literature is 

 available to the general public. 



