BEPOKT OF THE STATE BOTANIST 



213 



from such food entirely unless he can avail himself of the knowl- 

 edge of some one who can recognize them. 



A few edible fungi appear early in the season, but with us 

 July, August and September are the months when the greatest 

 variety is to be found. The morels occur in May and June. The 

 Fairy-ring mushroom and the Glistening coprinus sometimes 

 appear in June, and successive crops follow from time to time 

 whenever the] weather is favorable. During warm, showery 

 weather in July and August most of our edible boleti are to be 

 found. 



A few of the species continue in September. The latter part 

 of August and the first half of September will bring the Common 

 mushroom and the Horse mushroom, the weather conditions 

 being right. Excessively dry weather and prevailing cold 

 weather are unfavorable to mushroom growth. Heat and moist- 

 ure combined are favorable. It sometimes happens when the 

 fields and open country are too dry for mushroom growth, a 

 scanty supply may^be found in deep woods and shady swamps. 

 It would be useless to look in such places for the Common mush- 

 room and the Fairy-ring mushroom, for they do not grow in 

 woods; but 'the Delicious lactarius, the Involute paxillus, the 

 Ptough-stemmed boletus and the Chantarelle may be found there. 

 The Oyster pleurotus and the Sapid pleurotus may be found in 

 woods or clearings at any time between June and October, pro- 

 vided there is sufficient rain to induce growth, but the Honey- 

 colored armillaria, the Imbricated tri^holoma, the Masked tricho- 

 loma and the Ehn pleurotus will rarely be found before the last 

 week in August or the first of September. Let no one expect to 

 find the Granulated boletus, the Yellowish-brown boletus or the 

 Small Yellowish boletus except in the immediate vicinity of pine 

 trees or in places where pine trees have grown. These hints 

 may be something of a guide to the inexperienced mushroom 

 hunter. The dates and habitat given under the description of 

 each species will furnish more full and definite information on 

 this subject. 



Before proceeding to the description of species it may be well 

 to explain certain technical terms it may be convenient or 

 necessary to use. For illustration of some of the following terms 

 see Plate A and its explanation. 



