BBFOBT OF THE 8TATE BOTANIST. Ill 



imfit tor food. Strange as it may seem, a colony of larvae 

 in the lower part of the stem of a mushroom will some- 

 times affect disastrously the flavor of the cap or upper 

 part which they have not yet invaded. This fact may explain in 

 part the varying opinions of different writers concerning the 

 flavor and edible qualities of certain mushrooms. Slight differ- 

 ences in flavor may also be attributed to differences in the char- 

 acter of the soil in which they grow, the amount of moisture in 

 the atmosphere, degree of temperature, age and rapidity of 

 growth and to exposure to the sun and wind. Old and slowly- 

 developed individuals are likely to be less tender than young and 

 rapidly growing ones. Differences in individual tastes will also 

 account in part for differences of opinion on this point. There 

 are also peculiarities of constitution which have given origin to 

 the saying, " What is one man's meat is another man's poison." 

 One person can eat no egf:;, nor anything into which egg enters 

 as an ingredient, without suffering or sickness. Another is made 

 sick by eating strawberries, nevertheless egg and strawberries 

 are not classed as poisonous. Still it is possible that some fungi 

 as harmless as egg and strawberries may have been charged with 

 poisonous qualities from some such accidental circumstance or 

 individual peculiarity. 



In collecting mushrooms for the table it is well, in all cases in 

 which the stems are too tough for food, to cut the caps from the 

 stems. In this way much dirt and useless material will be left 

 where it belongs, and it will be possible in many cases to ascer- 

 tain if the caps have been attacked by insects. Most often the 

 larvaj mine their way up from the ground through the central 

 part of the stem to the cap, and by cutting the cap from the 

 stem their holes or galleries are exposed to view. In but few 

 species are the stems sufficiently tender to be used. Some have 

 recommended that the caps be placed in the coUectmg basket in 

 an inverted position, for if placed in their natural position with 

 gills downward they will drop their spores and their flavor will 

 be impaired. It is very doubtful if this partial loss of spores 

 affects the flavor in any appreciable degree. If more than one 

 species should be taken during the same excursion it would be 

 well to keep them separate from each other by wrapping each 



