17() MASSACHUSETTS HORTinLTURAL SOCIETY. 



very palatable when young and therefore tender. A large mass 

 was observed last summer on an elm tree in the yard belonging to 

 ihe house of a club near here, whose members would presumably 

 have enjoyed the succulent dish. The manner of growth of this 

 mushroom is sufficient for identification. 



■ Of a similar character is Agaricus ostreatus, the Oyster Mush- 

 room, sometimes called the Vegetable Oyster. It is usually found 

 in large clusters upon decaying stumps, joined sidewise to them 

 by a°short stem. Clusters of several pounds weight may be 

 fathered from a single stump. The color is dull yellow or ash 

 color, the gills dingy white. When young and tender this mush- 

 room may be cooked in any way one would cook oysters, and the 

 result will be equally agreeable and nutritious. Mr. Gibson has 

 only seen this mushroom in autumn, but Dr. Mcllvaiue speaks of 

 finding it from March until fall. 



Agaricus cretacens. The Chalk Mushroom. —This is a pure 

 white mushroom growing on lawns and rich grass plots — never in 

 woods. The cap, first globular, afterwards expands, becoming 

 dark and smoky. It is quite brittle and the cuticle peels easily ; 

 the stem is hollow and parts easily from the cap without breaking 

 the o^ills, a strong feature in identification. The flavor is mild. 

 One should become acquainted with this species, though it is not 

 so valuable or plentiful as some others that w^e have discussed. 



Lepiota procerus. The Parasol Mushroom. — This mushroom 

 is often described by enthusiasts as the best of all. The genus 

 Lepiota is distinguished by a well developed ring, which soon 

 breaks loose from its attachment and falls down, or may hang 

 down upon the stem. The cap is distinct from the stem, that is, 

 not joined to it by the gills, the stem being inserted in the cap 

 in a distinct cavity or depression of the cap. The parasol has a 

 dry, clean cap three or four inches in diameter with a distinct 

 protuberance in the centre of the top ; it is brown in color and 

 has reddish brown scales dispersed somewhat regularly upon the 

 upper surface of tlie cap. The stem is slender and five or six 

 inches long, swollen at the bottom to a bulb; but without a 

 sheath or°volva. The gills are white; the smell and taste are 

 pleasant and nutty. It grows singly in the open fields, some- 

 times under trees or by the roadside, and is found in summer and 

 early autumn. The flesh is firm and, including the gills, of uni- 

 form thickness from stem to rim or from centre to circumference. 



