ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF FUNGI 289 



belong to an entirely diiferent group. All puff-balls are 

 good to eat when young. Many esteem the morel 

 (Morchella esculenta) as a great delicacy. 



Fig. 212. — Shaggy-mane mushroom (Coprinus comatus). Edible before 

 the spores turn black. 



279. Criterion of Edibility. — Here, as elsewhere, there 

 is no royal road, no short cut to knowledge. There are 

 absolutely no external characteristics which distinguish 

 edible from poisonous fungi. The only way to tell whether 

 a given species is poisonous or not is to try it. Since this 

 is so, it is best for the amateur not to make the endeavor, 

 but to depend only upon the knowledge of an experienced 

 mycologist. One should first seek to attain skill in 

 determining the exact species of his specimen, and then 

 follow the assurance, and especially the warnings, of 

 some reliable book. In general, one should avoid all 

 bright-colored species (although some of them are not 

 poisonous), and all species that have a ''cup" at the 

 base of the stalk, or stipe. To insure no mistak^^ in this 

 latter point, one should always be sure that he has the 

 base of the stipe, and has not broken it off above the 

 base. Beginners should also avoid all specimens in the 

 *' button" stage of development, as it is more difficult 

 to determine the exact species at that stage. 

 19 



