J46 MUSHROOM CULTURE. 



ing communication from Dr. Curtis, of South Carolina, to 

 the Rev. W. Berkeley is here given. It will prove well 

 worthy the attention of American readers : 



" You have asked me to give you my ' experience with 

 the eatable mushrooms of America/ This will be most 

 satisfactorily done, I presume, in pretty much the same 

 style in which I would narrate it to you at your own 

 fireside. My experience runs back only about twelve or 

 fifteen years. You may remember that previous to 

 this period I expressed a fear of these edibles, as I had 

 grown up with the common prejudices against them en- 

 tertained by most people in this country. Having 

 occasionally read of fearful accidents from their use, and 

 there being abundance of other and wholesome food 

 obtainable, I felt no inclination to run any risks in need- 

 lessly enlarging my bill of fare. Thus I had passed middle 

 life without having once even tasted a mushroom. "-^TJ 



" But as under your guidance and assistance my know- 

 ledge of fungi increased, a confidence in my ability to 

 discriminate species grew up with it, and a curiosity 

 to test the qualities of these mudi-lauded articles got the 

 better of timidity ; and now, I suppose, I can safely 

 say, that I have eaten a greater variety of mushrooms 

 than anyone on the American continent. I have even 

 introduced several species before untried and unknown. 

 From the beginning of my experiments, however, I have 

 exercised great caution, even with species long recognised 



