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of edible mushrooms, and, when poisonous species exist whose 

 look closely resembles that of harmless species and whose confu- 

 sion might lead to serious consequences, to reject all suspicious 

 kinds. It is not necessary for mushroom lovers to know scientifi- 

 cally all the many kinds in their neighborhood; it is sufficient if 

 they know a dozen or two, for from these they can select kinds 

 that are accessible and available almost every month in the season 

 from early spring to late fall. Luckily too, the poisonous kinds 

 are not nearly so common on our coast as in the Eastern and 

 Southern states, and therefore less danger is incurred in mistak- 

 ing different species, especially the poisonous for the harmless. 

 Not a single really poisonous species has been found by the writer 

 in the state of Idaho up to this date. Yet for this reason we should 

 not be too sanguine that poisonous species do not exist here; it 

 should rather put us on our guard to avoi.l any accidents due to 

 fancied security. This should be carefully kept in mind, that 

 mushrooms, or toadstools if you prefer the term, are constantly 

 succeeding one another throughout the spring, summer and fall. 

 The same locality therefore that may have furnished only harm- 

 less forms at one time of the year, may a month later produce 

 poisonous or at least disagreeable and harmful kinds. So the only 

 safe way of avoiding danger is to know your plants collected, if they 

 are to be cooked, or to find out what they are from some one com- 

 petent to inform you if you do not know them and wish to try 

 some or all on the table. 



And right here it might be pertinent to express the wonder that 

 more persons are not killed annually than are, on account, of the 

 careless way mushrooms are sometimes gathered, the good with 

 the bad, or on account of the carelessness with which different 

 species, somewhat resembling one another, are collected and no 

 care given their identification. I knew of one gentleman who 

 laughingly stated that when he drove out into the country after 

 mushrooms, he collected generally all that were tender, and ate 

 them all, so convinced was he that no poisonous kinds exist in 

 the region from Spokane to Lewiston. Mr. F. V. Coville, Botan- 



