﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  BOTANIST 
  8l 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  places 
  the 
  smooth 
  mushroom, 
  Lepiota 
  naucinoides, 
  has 
  

   been 
  quite 
  as 
  plentiful 
  as 
  the 
  common 
  mushroom. 
  In 
  some 
  respects 
  

   this 
  is 
  sliperior 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  mushroom. 
  It 
  is 
  less 
  Hable 
  to 
  the 
  

   attack 
  of 
  insects, 
  it 
  will 
  keep 
  longer 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  and 
  it 
  presents 
  

   a 
  more 
  attractive 
  appearance 
  when 
  cooked, 
  as 
  its 
  gills 
  do 
  not 
  turn 
  

   black 
  with 
  age 
  or 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  heat. 
  Its 
  flavor 
  is 
  thought 
  

   by 
  some 
  to 
  be 
  inferior 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  mushroom, 
  but 
  others 
  

   affirm 
  that 
  even 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  deHcate 
  and 
  desirable. 
  It 
  

   has 
  a 
  wider 
  range 
  of 
  habitat, 
  growing 
  in 
  lawns, 
  pastures, 
  grassy 
  

   places 
  by 
  roadsides, 
  in 
  the 
  plowed 
  land 
  of 
  potato 
  and 
  corn 
  fields 
  and 
  

   even 
  in 
  thin 
  woods. 
  From 
  its 
  clean 
  white 
  color, 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  some 
  

   localities 
  have 
  given 
  it 
  the 
  local 
  name 
  of 
  " 
  white 
  mushroom." 
  It 
  has 
  

   sometimes 
  been 
  mistaken 
  for 
  the 
  chalky 
  mushroom, 
  Agaricus 
  cre- 
  

   taceus. 
  But 
  if 
  we 
  may 
  trust 
  the 
  writings 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  European 
  authors 
  

   in 
  this 
  matter, 
  the 
  chalky 
  mushroom 
  has 
  brown 
  spores, 
  but 
  the 
  

   smooth 
  mushroom 
  has 
  white 
  spores, 
  although 
  agreeing 
  closely 
  with 
  

   the 
  chalky 
  mushroom 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  its 
  characters. 
  This 
  fungus 
  was 
  so 
  

   abundant 
  about 
  Albany 
  that 
  one 
  lover 
  of 
  mushrooms 
  brought 
  in 
  

   about 
  a 
  peck 
  of 
  them 
  one 
  day, 
  and 
  affirmed 
  that 
  where 
  he 
  picked 
  

   them 
  he 
  could 
  easily 
  have 
  filled 
  a 
  barrel 
  with 
  those 
  left 
  behind. 
  I 
  

   have 
  recently 
  received 
  more 
  letters 
  of 
  inquiry 
  concerning 
  the 
  name, 
  

   character 
  and 
  edibility 
  of 
  this 
  mushroom 
  than 
  of 
  any 
  other. 
  Its 
  neat 
  

   appearance 
  and 
  great 
  abundance 
  have 
  attracted 
  attention 
  and 
  sug- 
  

   gested 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  its 
  edibility 
  and 
  awakened 
  in 
  its 
  observers 
  a 
  

   desire 
  for 
  information 
  concerning 
  it. 
  It 
  therefore 
  seems 
  proper 
  to 
  

   attribute 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  mushrooms 
  to 
  

   the 
  abundant 
  crop 
  of 
  certain 
  species 
  that 
  the 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   the 
  season 
  have 
  produced. 
  

   6 
  

  

  