ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 23 



had I alone partaken of the dish, or had one or two others been affected in like 

 manner, doubtless the night attack would have been very confidently attributed 

 by some to the mushroom ; or had this been my first trial of that article, possibly 

 I might ever after have regarded it with suspicion. I learned a few days after- 

 wards, from one of our physicians, that this kind of sickness was then somewhat 

 prevalent in the community, and could be attributed to no known cause. For 

 the credit of this species, therefore, we were fortunately able to distinguish the 

 post hoc from the propter hoc. 



There are families in America that for generations have freely and annually 

 eaten mushrooms, preserving a habit brought from Europe by their ancestors. 

 In no case have I heard of an accident among them. I have known no instance 

 of mushroom-poisoning in this country, except where the victim rashly ventured 

 upon the experiment without knowing one species from another. Among the 

 families above mentioned, I have not met with any whose knowledge of mush- 

 rooms extended beyond the common species (A. campestris) called Pink Gill 

 in this country. Several such families hve near me, but not one of them was 

 aware, until I informed them, that there are other edible kinds. Everything 

 but the Pink Gill, which had the form of a mushroom, was to them a toadstool, 

 and poisonous. When I first sent my son with a fine basket of imperials (A. 

 csesareus) to an intelligent physician, who was extravagantly fond of the common 

 mushroom, the lad was greeted with the indignant exclamation, "Boy, I 

 wouldn't eat one of those things to save your father's head !" When told they 

 were eaten at my table, he accepted them, ate them, and has eaten many a one 

 since with all safety and with no little relish. Since that time our mycopha- 

 gists eat whatever I send thein without fear or suspicion. 



"I have interested myself to extend the knowledge of these things among 

 the lovers of mushrooms, and also their use among those who have not before 

 tried them. In the latter work I am not always successful, on account of a 

 strong prejudice against vegetables with such contemptuous names, and an un- 

 conquerable fear of accidents. Yet, as in my own case, curiosity often con- 

 quern these errors. When away from home I have frequently obtained ready 

 permission from a kind hostess to have cooked a dish of mushrooms that I had 

 found on her premises. It has rarely occurred in such cases that the dish, then 

 tasted for the first time, was not declared to be dehcious, or the best thing ever 

 put in the mouth. This latter phrase was once used in reference to so indif- 

 ferent an article as A. salignus. Indeed. I have found several persons who 

 class this among the most palatable species. To such persons, a dish of fresh 

 mushrooms need seldom be wanting, as this one can be had every month of the 

 year in this latitude. I am induced to believe that the quality of this species 

 varies with the kind of wood it grows from, and that it is better flavored when 

 gathered from the mulberry, and especially from the hickory, than when taken 

 from most other trees. Its fitness for the table seems also to depend much 

 upon the rapidity of its growth ; those which grow slowly, as is the case with 

 some of our garden vegetables, being of tougher texture and of less dehcate 

 flavor. A warm sun, after heavy rains, brings them out in greatest perfection. 



