﻿134 
  Forty-seventh 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  

  

  places 
  there 
  are 
  depressions 
  or 
  -swales. 
  In 
  these, 
  several 
  species 
  

   of 
  sedge 
  grow 
  and 
  other 
  plants 
  fond 
  of 
  moist 
  or 
  wet 
  soil. 
  The 
  

   whole 
  area 
  was 
  strongly 
  suggestive 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  worn 
  out 
  or 
  aban- 
  

   doned 
  farm. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  former 
  forest 
  growth 
  on 
  

   it 
  nor 
  was 
  it 
  clear 
  why 
  trees 
  had 
  not 
  occupied 
  it. 
  One 
  guide 
  

   claimed 
  that 
  fire 
  had 
  destroyed 
  the 
  timber 
  but 
  I 
  saw 
  no 
  remains 
  

   of 
  charred 
  trunks 
  to 
  bear 
  out 
  this 
  claim. 
  The 
  indications 
  point 
  

   rather 
  to 
  poverty 
  of 
  soil 
  as 
  a 
  partial 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  absence 
  

   of 
  forest 
  trees 
  and 
  yet 
  this 
  is 
  evidently 
  not 
  the 
  whole 
  nor 
  a 
  very 
  

   satisfactory 
  explanation. 
  

  

  The 
  newspapers 
  have 
  recently 
  reported 
  several 
  cases 
  of 
  mush- 
  

   room 
  poisoning. 
  This 
  emphasizes 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  

   general 
  and 
  better 
  knowledge 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  and 
  more 
  care 
  in 
  

   selecting 
  and 
  eating 
  them. 
  It 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  

   Board 
  of 
  Regents 
  in 
  directing 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  life-size 
  colored 
  

   figures 
  of 
  our 
  edible 
  and 
  poisonous 
  species 
  of 
  fungi 
  and 
  plain 
  and 
  

   simple 
  descriptions 
  of 
  them 
  was 
  wise 
  and 
  needful. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  

   desirable 
  that 
  the 
  appropriation 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  

   these 
  plates 
  and 
  descriptions 
  be 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  coming 
  session 
  of 
  

   the 
  Legislature. 
  The 
  question 
  is 
  often 
  asked, 
  how 
  shall 
  the 
  

   edible 
  mushrooms 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  poisonous 
  or 
  danger- 
  

   ous 
  species. 
  The 
  answer 
  is, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  simple 
  or 
  peculiar 
  mark 
  

   or 
  character 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished. 
  It 
  is 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  know 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  recognize 
  each 
  species 
  used 
  for 
  food 
  

   by 
  its 
  own 
  specific 
  characters. 
  All 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  safe 
  

   eating, 
  should 
  be 
  rejected. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  rule 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   the 
  higher 
  orders 
  of 
  plants. 
  A 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  

   are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  good 
  for 
  food, 
  a 
  'few 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  poison- 
  

   ous, 
  either 
  in 
  root, 
  herbage 
  or 
  fruit 
  and 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  num- 
  

   ber, 
  while 
  neither 
  hurtful 
  nor 
  edible, 
  are 
  regarded 
  as 
  either 
  

   worthless 
  or 
  useful 
  for 
  other 
  than 
  edible 
  purposes. 
  We 
  

   invariably 
  recognize 
  those 
  used 
  for 
  food 
  by 
  their 
  own 
  

   specific 
  characters 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  look 
  for 
  any 
  single 
  

   mark 
  or 
  character 
  by 
  which 
  to 
  distinguish 
  poisonous 
  

   plants 
  or 
  fruits 
  from 
  edible 
  ones. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  good 
  and 
  

   bad 
  are 
  closely 
  related 
  botanically 
  and 
  accidents 
  happen 
  from 
  

   a 
  failure 
  to 
  recognize 
  specific 
  characters. 
  Thus 
  poison 
  hemlock 
  

   is 
  sometimes 
  mistaken 
  for 
  sweet 
  cicily, 
  both 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  