MUSHKOOMS AND OTHER FUNGI 



edible fungi. Not many years ago there was scarcely 

 any literature on the subject which was easily avail- 

 able, or was of much use, on this side of the Atlantic, 

 but within the last ten or twelve years several popular 

 handbooks have been published in the United States 

 which are more or less useful in Canada ; and there 

 must be spread over the country quite a number of 

 persons who are examining, and sometimes adding 

 to the supplies of the domestic table, the edible fleshy 

 fungi of their neighbourhood, without venturing to 

 put forth to the public any account of them. It is 

 to be hoped that before long some of these workers 

 will publish in some way at least descriptions or 

 lists of what they have found, so that others may be 

 helped and a foundation may be laid for a general 

 list of the fungi of Canada. 



There are undoubtedly several of such persons 

 within the district with which we are at present con- 

 cerned, viz., the district within a radius of fifty 

 miles from Toronto. A district so defined would 

 include almost the whole of the counties of York, 

 Peel, Halton, Wentworth, Lincoln, and Dufferin, as 

 well as large parts of Welland, Wellington, Simcoe, 

 Ontario and Durham. In these counties the neigh- 

 bourhoods of Fergus, Elora, Guelph, Preston, Ham- 

 ilton, Orangeville, Georgetown, Oshawa, Niagara 

 ''alls and the Niagara River Gorge, Caledon Moun- 

 lin, and the shores of Lake Simcoe and Lake Scugog, 

 ive long been fruitful botanizing fields, and should 



able to return a good account of the fungi. 

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