8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



from Averyville. The visit was made in June and owing to the early 

 time in the season it is probable that some plants which occur later 

 were not seen. A list of those seen will be found in the chapter 

 designated " Remarks and observations." 



It is interesting to note the seasonal influences on plants and their 

 similar results on our cultivated plants and wild mushrooms. In 

 the eastern part of the State the prevailing low temperature in the 

 spring retarded the development of vegetation and kept back the 

 blossoming of the early varieties of fruit trees. Then a somewhat 

 abrupt change to warmer weather caused these and later varieties to 

 blossom more nearly simultaneously than usual. The early Rich- 

 mond cherry and the Montmorency commonly have an interval of 

 about ten days between their times of flowering. This year that 

 interval was only two or three days. Pear trees, plum trees and 

 cherry trees were in blossom nearly at the same time and apple trees 

 quickly succeeded them. The resulting fruit crop was abundant 

 and matured early. In midseason a long period of dry hot weather 

 kept back the development of those species of mushrooms that com- 

 monly appear at this time of the year. It was a rare thing to find 

 one. They were extremely scarce even in swamps and wet places. 

 Several correspondents wrote that they never before knew mush- 

 rooms to be so scarce. One correspondent says, " On account of 

 the drouth this has been the poorest season for fungi I have known 

 in twenty-five years. Not a single morel could I find." This 

 condition continued longer in some places than in others. Where 

 plenteous rains came toward the end of the season mushrooms began 

 to appear. In the vicinity of New York City rain fell abundantly 

 during a whole week. This effectually broke the drouth and soon a 

 crop of mushrooms began to appear. Summer and autumn species 

 came up together and by their great variety and united numbers 

 made such a crop as is rarely seen. In some places the ground 

 appeared as if it was almost covered with them. 



One correspondent says, " the Long Island woods are full of 

 mushrooms. It seems that almost every step reveals some different 

 species." Others represent their abundance as so great that they 

 could be gathered by the bushel. One says that a friend who had 

 been out collecting mushrooms brought in half a bushel of 

 Tricholoma personatum Fr. This abundance has extended 

 to other states than our own and has induced people to gather them 

 for food more freely and in greater quantity than usual. As a con- 

 sequence more accidents and deaths from eating poisonous mush- 



