114 MASSACHUSETTS HORTIOULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



season, making them into a table sauce which he considered better 

 than the much praised "Worcestershire brand. 



Mr. Clark stated that in the Annual Report of the United 



States Department of Agriculture, for 1890, the Chief of the Divi- 

 sion of Microscopy gave a list of edible and poisonous mushrooms 

 found in the United States, with directions for the culture of the 

 edible species, and various methods of cooking them. 



Mrs. H. L. T. Wolcott said that at one time she had an experi- 

 ence of beginning in mushroom culture. She prepared a bed 

 which made satisfactory progress until, just as it was about to be a 

 success, floods came and ruined the whole plant. She had some 

 experieuce in cooking mushrooms taken from an elm tree stump. 

 Frequently, rumors of cases of poisoning will create a popular 

 scare, and many people are thus made afraid to use any kind of 

 mushroom. In every such case of course many tons of this food 

 will mature and go to waste. 



Joseph H. Woodford gave the following recipe for cooking 

 mushrooms : Take off the skin from the top and brush the dirt 

 off the stalk. Cut half through the stalk near the gills so it can 

 be laid on a gridiron, as broiling is the best way to cook it ; let it 

 broil until it can be easily punctured with a sharp fork. Mean- 

 while, have a good porter-house steak broiled, and serve the two 

 together. They will assimilate most satisfactorily. 



Jackson Dawson did not consider the porter-house steak an 

 always necessary accompaniment. After carefully brushing the 

 dirt from the stems, and taking off the skins from the tops of the 

 mushrooms, he cuts off the stems, which are stewed until tender. 

 Sufficient bread is toasted and buttered, and spread upon a platter 

 and the stewed stems are poured over it. The tops, which have 

 been broiled, meanwhile, are also served with the other portion. 



Samuel Merrill remarked that when the supply was unlimited, 

 he preferred to have mushrooms broiled, but if only a limited 

 amount can be had, it is more economical to stew them. Field 

 mushrooms will give a rich flavor to milk or cream ; in this case, a 

 quite liberal quantity of milk may be used, with some butter, and 

 a small amount of flour for thickening, and the mixture seasoned 

 to suit the taste. The mushrooms are to be broken into small 

 pieces and put into the milk, and it sliould be stirred constantly 

 while it is being cooked. It should be left on the fire only one or 

 two minutes after it reaches the boiling point. If cream is used 



