FIELD BOOK OF COMMON GILLED MUSHROOMS 



entirely but in some varieties, part of it remains as a collar or 

 ring around the stem as may be seen in the common field 

 mushroom. In still other varieties fragments of the second- 

 ary veil may be found, even in mature plants, hanging from 

 the margin of the cap. 



Let us consider some of the features possessed by mush- 

 rooms so as to know what to look for in any collected speci- 

 men that we may wish to identify. 



First, it will be found that each kind has its own peculiar 

 manner of growth; some are solitary while others grow in 

 groups, tufts or clusters. 



The place of growth of mushrooms varies within well de- 

 fined limits. Some species grow only in woods, others only in 

 open spaces and still others occur in both kinds of surround- 

 ings. Certain species grow upon wood, some upon the ground, 

 and a few species are found on or under particular kinds of 

 trees or in such especial places as railroad ties, manure heaps 

 and growing moss. 



Time or season of growth is a distinguishing feature of some 

 kinds of mushrooms. In the temperate zones there are par- 

 ticular fungi that may be found growing during each month of 

 the year. 



Gilled mushrooms present a variety of odors which may 

 assist in their identification, as for example in the case of the 

 camphory lactarius with its fragrance really like that of sweet 

 clover, or in that of the fetid russula, which smells of peach 

 kernels. The majority of fungi possess either little or no 

 odor or else a characteristic fungous odor that is difficult to 

 describe. 



Taste — The taste of many mushrooms when raw is mild or 

 unnoticeable. Others are acrid and peppery to the tongue or 

 puckery, or branny or, in some cases, nutty. 



Cookery brings out odors and tastes entirely lacking in raw 

 specimens. 



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