1885. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



333 



fungi. It was exactly a case of ' line upon line ' 

 on a most important subject. 



" Some men could eat no species ol fuiiguj with- 

 out sickness, but as there i^ hardly any one article 

 of food which suited all people equally well, this 

 fact should not lead to mushrooms, — which most 

 persons can eat, — being denounced. On the other 

 hand, by proper preparation many fungi which 

 are usually poisonous can be made edible. Men 

 generally regard toadstools as simply poisonous 

 mushrooms. The above facts, however, show that 

 as one man's food may be another's poison, such 

 a distinction between mushrooms and toadstools 

 cannot stand. It were well if it could be dropped 

 entirely. 



"People imagine that as there is no sign by which 

 we may always recognize a poisonous fungus, they 

 are, therefore, more difficult to detect than poison- 

 ous flowering plants. The fact is, that in each case 

 there are certain distinguishing marks belonging 

 to each species, and knowing these, one may 

 readily determine whether or not the plant is 

 poisonous. You must learn to recognize some 

 edible fungi as certainly as you recognize apples 

 or peaches, and you can do it just as easily. 



" Two mushrooms with gills were then drawn on 

 the board. One was the Agaricus campestris (the 

 common edible mushroom); and the other was the | 

 Agaricus (or Amanita) vernus, vidiich has a recent 

 sad interest in connection with the poisoning of a ■ 

 family at Shenandoah, in this State. 



"The first, Agaricus campestris, grows in pas- 

 tures, lawns, lanes, but not in the woods. In its 

 best (and safe condition) its e-xpanded cap is white, 

 and a little downy above, and the gills beneath 

 are pink or purple, but not white. The stem is 

 nearly solid; does not rise out of a cup (volva) at 

 the base, and has a ring about it in the upper half. 

 These characters will not lead one into danger. 



"The poison, Amanita (Agaricus vernus), has 

 white gills, is white, yellow, bright or pale red 

 above, and at first has a conspicuously marked 

 ring around the stem ; and the stem rises out of a 

 cup (volva) at its base. Keep clear of all such 

 lungi, whether poisonous or not. Unless they are 

 certainly known to you, let them alone. That is 

 safe advice to act upon. 



" Puffballs were ne.xt alluded to. These are 

 usually white, roundish or oblong, and vary in 

 size from an inch in diameter to over a foot, or, in 

 extreme instances, to a yard in diameter. At first 

 they are, inside, solid, white and edible ; then 

 yellowish, spongy and suspicious ; lastly, black, 

 powdery, and unfit to eat. There are many dif- 

 ferent kinds with us, but before they turn yellow 

 all are safe as food. They may grow on stumps, 

 on sandy soils or on grassy banks, especially after 

 a drenching rain in the latter part of summer. 

 Cook them as you would an egg-plant. 



"The next group spoken of was that known as 

 Boletus. Its characteristic is the pores on the 

 under side of the cap. Split this cap and the 

 pores are seen to be the entrances of a mass of 

 closely compacted tubes, which lie straight and 

 parallel, and are open below. There are a num- 

 ber of species of Boletus. All are said to be edi- 



ble. It may be so ; but the lecturer only advised 

 general use of one — Boletus edulis — because, first, 

 it was known to be safe ; because, secondly, it 

 was not rare ; and lastly, because it was easily re- 

 cognized. Picture to yourself a fungus from three 

 to six inches high, with a stout stem, which is 

 somewhat swollen below, the cap thick, chestnut- 

 colored above, and mouths of the tubes below 

 yellow or yellowish green. Whatever others may 

 say, unless you are sure of the species, eat no 

 Boletus with red or reddish tubes. 



" The lecturer gave, he said, but a few out of the 

 many which he might have named. What advice 

 he gave, however, was safe. 



"There was a point he insisted upon — that, as 

 fungi, which were edible and delicious and nutri- 

 tious, were probably more abundant here than in 

 Europe, where they were an important article of 

 food, it was in the interest of the community that 

 every one should know them. Every public 

 school in this State should have, where every child 

 could see them, plaster models, life size and color, 

 of the edible and the poisonous species. This 

 idea could easily be realized and would involve 

 almost no expense, whilst its practical benefits 

 would be larger than we can at present conceive 

 of. Even the Chinese government prints and 

 distributes broadcast over the land what is known 

 as the Anti-Famine Herbal, a book describing 

 nearly 500 species of plants, which, in times of 

 scarcity, may be utilized as food. Are we still to 

 remain in this respec'; below these, whom we con- 

 sider barbarians ?" 



[The above excellent synopsis of one of the 

 Michaux Lectures in Fairmount Park was made 

 for the Public Ledger of Philadelphia. 



We may add that to those who desire further 

 knowledge, the colored plates of Edible and Poison- 

 ous Mushrooms recently issued by Messrs. Prang 

 & Co., will be very seasonable. — Ed. G. M.] 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Ridiculous Names for Fruits Col. Wilder's 



efforts to reform the names of fruits — and of course 

 flowers — are meeting with singular success. We 

 cannot wholly control by rules an introducer's 

 right to give a name to his fruit ; but we can- so 

 control public opinion that the mere fact that a 

 silly name has been given to a fruit will operate 

 I against its popularity. It will at once be evident 

 that the fruit has been introduced by an ignoramus 

 who does not know whether his production is of 

 any value or not. No intelligent pomologist will 

 deal in such trashy names. 



Identical Fruits. — It would be next to im- 

 possible if among the thousands of seedling plants 

 that annually appear, some one or another did 

 not appear like unto some former one. Many of 



