Introduction 



this enlightened age that the ground is much more reliable, and so squat 

 upon it, except when exercising their constitutional right to hop. Snails, 

 slugs, insects of many kinds, mice, squirrels and rabbits prey upon good 

 and bad, each to its liking, notwithstanding oft-repeated assertion that 

 snails and slugs infect noxious varieties only, or that animals select the 

 innocuous only. We are warned against those which grow in the dark 

 or damp ; the mushroom of commerce is grown by the ton in the sub- 

 terranean quarries of France, and everywhere in vaults and cellars for 

 domestic use. The valued truffle never sees the light until it is taken 

 from darkness to be eaten, and other varieties of the best prefer seclu- 

 sion. 



The wiseacres tell us that they must have equal gills, must not have 

 thin tops, must not turn yellow when sprinkled with salt, must not 

 blacken a silver spoon, that we must not eat of those changing color 

 when cut or broken, of those exuding milk, or those which are acrid, 

 hot, or bitter, and give many other specifics for determining the good 

 from the bad. These tests are all worse than worthless, for if confidence 

 is placed in them they will not only lead us away from esculent and 

 excellent varieties but directly into eating venomous ones. 



There are whole genera of fungi which are innocuous ; but in the 

 Family of Agaricaceae, where the greatest variety of the edible and poison- 

 ous species are found, it is necessary to master one by one the details 

 of their construction and learn to distinguish their differences as one 

 does those of the many kinds of roses, or pinks, or hundreds of bright- 

 faced pansies, and in the mastery of them lies the only charm that will 

 safely guide. 



Carefully remove the first toadstool found from whatever it is growing 

 upon, and with it a portion of that from which it springs. If it is the 

 earth a curious white network is discernible, fine as the delicate spin- 

 ning of the spider, spreading its meshes throughout the mass. It will 

 often remind of miniature vines climbing over miniature lattices. This 

 is the mycelium from which the toadstool grew. In many instances it 

 penetrates the earth to a considerable depth, and takes possession of 

 large territory. It is often seen as the gardener turns up the soil or its 

 fertilizer, and is perhaps taken for a mold. If the specimen is gathered 

 from mat of wood leaves, the same white vine is observable slipping in 

 between its layers. If taken from a tree, the decay ing wood is traversed 



xiv 



