17.5 



Cases of mushroom poisoning are apt to increase, due partly 

 to an increased interest in the vegetable diet and an effort to 

 find meat substitutes. Mushrooms in our shops are more 

 abundant than formerly. Many more are used as food and as 

 they are relatively expensive, people of moderate means who 

 enjoy savory food are apt to seek in nature forms which they 

 believe edible. 



The movement of " Back-to-the-farm " for the city man, the 

 Boy Scouts for the student, the high cost of living for everybody 

 and an increased interest in nature study are other factors which 

 will lead to an increase of poison cases. At present the greatest 

 danger arises from children or from the poorer class of adults 

 who see foreign-born laborers scouring the fields and woods for 

 edible forms of mushrooms. Now, it happens that these 

 foreigners think they know edible kinds and are careful to gather 

 these alone or else they know how to render a dangerous kind 

 harmless by certain methods of preparation. But the x'\merican 

 does not with certainty identify his mushroom but gathers 

 those which "look just like" those gathered by the foreigners 

 and is apt to add a number of cases to the annual death list. 

 The death rate from the "destroying angel " (Amanita phaUoides) 

 cases is over 52 per cent. — children are more susceptible than 

 adults and there is one clear record of a death from eating one 

 third of the top of an Amanita. With these facts in mind, 

 perhaps the best advice is that given by a mother to her child, 

 who seeing me gather some edible forms tried to imitate me, as 

 children will do. The mother said: "Child, that man knows 

 what they are, but for you they are all poison." 



{To be continued) 



A NEW MERTENSIA 



By Geo. E. Osterhout 



Mertensia media sp. nov. 



Stem rather slender, 2-3 dm. high, glabrous or sparingly 

 appressed pubescent, flowering branches from near the middle, 



