INJURIOUS AND OTHER FUNGI. 31 



stition, together with the difficult}' of distinguishing the good from 

 the bad, have all combined to prevent the accordance of justice 

 to this family of plants. 



Any one who presimies to give instruction concerning fungi is 

 expected to lay down certain infallible rules for distinguishing the 

 edible from the poisonous, so that in the future no serious incon- 

 venience or loss of life may arise from their injudicious consump- 

 tion. Up to the present time this has never been done, and it 

 would not become me to attempt it here. There are certain general 

 rules which may be given, but they all have their exceptions, both 

 in including poisonous species and in excluding those which experi- 

 ence has shown to be delicious. 



Those which are bright colored, as red, blue, or green, are to 

 be looked upon with suspicion. Those which change color when 

 bruised, cut, or broken, are usually unfit for food. A milky juice 

 is a bad sign. Those with a moist, waxy surface, are to be 

 avoided. A disagreeable odor while still fresh is a strong indica- 

 tion of their not being edible. But, as has been stated, these rules 

 are not infallible, therefore a last safeguard must be laid down, as 

 follows : never eat a fungus about which there is any doubt. The 

 best and shortest method for those who wish to make use of these 

 plants as articles of diet, is to become acquainted with the distinct 

 characteristics of a few of the most common edible species, and use 

 no others. 



One of the leading fungi recognized as valuable for food is the 

 Morel {Morchella esculenta) . It has a short, thick stem, terminat- 

 ing in a large ovoid top, very irregular on the exterior, owing to 

 the man}^ compressed folds of which it is composed, thus forming 

 a surface of numerous indented polygons. They are found to some 

 extent in most countries, but those in commerce come ahiiost en- 

 tirely from the states of Germany. They show a peculiar prefer- 

 ence for those portions of woodland, on sandy soil, over which fires 

 have passed. This fact became so evident to the peasants who 

 gathered them, that in order to increase the range of growth the}- 

 set fire to the forests to an alarming extent, and rigid laws were 

 enacted to prevent such damage. The morel is extensively used as 

 a flavoring for sauces and soups, but chiefly in the manufacture of 

 one of the finest qualities of catsup. 



The most highly prized of all edible fungi are Truflfles, of which 

 there are several species, the most common one being Tuber cesti- 



