MUSHROOMS, EDIBLE AND OTHERWISE 



be chewed, this time swallowing a small portion of the juice. Should no irrita- 

 tion be experienced after another period of waiting, a still larger piece may be 

 tried. I always sample a new plant carefully, and thus am often able to establish 

 the fact of its edibility before being able to locate it in its proper species. This 

 fall I found for the first time Tricholoma columbetta; it was some time after I 

 had proven it an edible mushroom before I had settled upon its name. A better 

 way, perhaps, is to cook them and feed them to your cat and watch the result. 



Another way is to have a friend who knows the plants go with you, and 

 thus you learn under a teacher as a pupil learns in school. This is the quickest 

 way to gain a knowledge of plants of any kind, but it is difficult to find a com- 

 petent teacher. 



Still another way, and one that is open to all, is to gain a knowledge of a 

 few species and through their description become familiar with the terms used 

 in describing a mushroom; this done, the way is open, if you have a book con- 

 taining illustrations and descriptions of the most common plants. Do not be in 

 a hurry to get the names of all the plants, and do not make use of any about 

 which you are not absolutely sure. In gathering mushrooms to eat, do not put 

 into your basket with those you intend to eat a single mushroom of whose edible 

 qualities you have any doubt. If you have the least doubt about it, discard it, 

 or put it in another basket. 



There are no fixed rules by which you can tell a poisonous from an edible 

 mushroom. I found a friend of mine eating Lepiota naucina, not even knowing 

 to what genus it belonged, simply because she could peel it. I told her that the 

 most deadly mushroom can be peeled just as readily. Nor is there anything 

 more valuable in the silver spoon test in which Mr. Gibson's old lady put so 

 much confidence. Some say, do not eat any that have an acrid taste; many are 

 edible whose taste is quite acrid. Others say, do not eat any whose juice or 

 milk is white, but this would discard a number of Lactarii that are quite good. 

 There is nothing in the white gills and hollow stem theory. It is true that the 

 Amanita has both, but it must be known by other characteristics. Again we are 

 told to avoid such as have a viscid cap, or those that change color quickly ; this 

 is too sweeping a condemnation for it would cut out several very good species. 

 I think I may safely say there is no known rule by which the good can be dis- 

 tinguished from the bad. The only safe way is to know each species by its own 

 individual peculiarities to know them as we know our friends. 



The student of mycology has before him a description of each species, which 

 must tally with the plant in hand and which will soon render him familiar with 

 the different features of the various genera and species, so he can recognize 

 them as readily as the features of his best friends. 



* WHAT ANYONE MAY EAT. In the spring of the year there comes with 

 the earliest flowers a mushroom so strongly characteristic in all its forms that 

 no one will fail to recognize it. It is the common morel or sponge mushroom. 

 None of them are known to be harmful, hence here the beginner can safely trust 

 his judgment. While he is gathering morels to eat he will soon begin to dis- 

 tinguish the different species of the genera. From May till frost the different 



