26 EDIBLE MUSHROOMS 



combed ; these cells, on a warm day, are charged with 



the vapors of decomposition. Now you put such 



mushrooms as these (and I have seen 



Worthless just such on the markets of Boston and 

 popular tests London) over the fire. In boiling, sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen or other noxious 

 gases are liberated ; you stir with a bright spoon and 

 it is discolored ; proud of your test, you throw away 

 your stew. Now this is right, but if from this you 

 conclude that all fungus which discolors silver is poi- 

 sonous and that which leaves it bright is esculent, you 

 are in dangerous error. It is the same with fish at 

 sea. Tradition says that you must fry a piece of sil- 

 ver with them and throw them away if it discolors. 

 Certainly the experiment does no harm, and shows a 

 decomposition in both cases which might have been 

 detected without the charm." Opposed to this so- 

 called talisman, how grim is the fact that the deadli- 

 est of all mushrooms, the Amanita, in its fresh condi- 

 tion, has no effect upon silver. 



The change of color in fracture (9) has long been 

 a ban to the fungus as food. But this would ex- 

 clude several very delicious species, which turn blu- 

 ish, greenish, and red when broken — viz., Boletus sub- 

 tomentosus (Plate 22), Boletus strobilaceus (Plate 23), 

 and Lactarius (Plate 18). 



The ''toadstools'' with ''sticky tops" thus discrimi- 

 nated against (10) include a number of esculent spe- 

 cies, Boleti and Russulae, and others, as do also the 

 varieties with side-stems (11) — viz., Agaricus ulma- 

 rius (Plate 15), Fistulina hepatica (Plate 25), Agaricus 

 ostreatus (Plate 14), etc. 



