374 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
MUSHROOMS. 
A FEW COMMON VARRIETIES, WHERE TO FIND THEM 
AND HOW TO COOK THEM. 
W. M. BABCOCK, MINNEAPOLIS. 
The Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). 
Frequently you will see a shelf-like fungus growing on a tree or stump 
in the woods, varying from the size of a small tea plate to a mass weighing 
as high as twenty pounds. Examine the next one you see. If it is greyish 
white or a tawny grey on top, white underneath, with the gills lying close to- 
gether, and substantially free from worms, cut the fungus off and take it 
home. Lay it on a sheet of paper and leave it for a couple of hours, and it 
will deposit a white or slightly lilac dust on your paper. If so, you have the 
famous oyster mushroom or one of its family. Wash it and fry it in butter 
and season to taste. It may also be cooked just like an oyster. 
The Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus). 
By the roadside, on waste or filled grounds, you frequently see a cluster 
of little whitish, oblong balls poking their heads through the sand. They 
look more like goose eggs, with dirty grey or tawny tops and shaggy coats. 
Some are tightly closed, others more open and again others dripping from 
the margin with a nasty black ink. 
You have found the famous “shaggy mane” mushrooms. Take home a 
basket full of fresh ones, selecting only those that are pure white under- 
neath, as the pink and black ones will be spoiled before you will have an 
opportunity to cook them. Prepare them as given in the receipt for shaggy 
mane stew, and do so as soon as possible, for they will not keep over twelve 
hours in warm weather. 
The Ink Cap (Coprinus atramentarius). 
A brother of the mushroom just described is the ink cap. It may be de- 
scribed as looking much like a tightly closed parasol of a mouse grey color. 
