FIELD BOOK OF COMMON GILLED MUSHROOMS 



berries, nevertheless egg and strawberries are not classed as 

 poisonous. Still it is possible that some fungi as harmless as 

 egg and strawberries may have been charged with poisonous 

 qualities from some such accidental circumstance or individual 

 peculiarity. 



In collecting mushrooms for the table it is well, in all cases 

 in which the stems are too tough for food, to cut the caps from 

 the stems. In this way much dirt and useless material will 

 be left where it belongs, and it will be possible in many cases 

 to ascertain if the caps have been attacked by insects. Most 

 often the larvas mine their way up from the groimd through 

 the central part of the stem to the cap, and by cutting the cap 

 from the stem their holes or galleries are exposed to view. In 

 but few species are the stems sufficiently tender to be used. 

 Some have recommended that the caps be placed in the collect- 

 ing basket in an inverted position, for if placed in their natural 

 position with gills downward they will drop their spores and 

 their flavor will be impaired. It is very doubtful if this partial 

 loss of spores affects the flavor in any appreciable degree. If 

 more than one species should be taken during the same excur- 

 sion it would be well to keep them separate from each other, 

 by wrapping each species in a piece of paper by itself. This 

 precaution is not necessary if the species are so distinct in 

 color, shape or size that they can readily be separated from 

 each other at home, or if they are so similar in flavor and tex- 

 ture that they may be treated alike in cooking without any 

 detriment to their esculent qualities. 



Should a doubt arise at any time, concerning the identity 

 of a supposed edible species, do not use such a mushroom until 

 all doubt on this point has been banished. If it is thought 

 desirable to compare the plant with the published figure and 

 descriptions for the purpose of identifying the species, select 

 for this purpose sound specimens which represent both the 

 young and the mature forms, that all the specific characters 

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