TL/ITE X 



THE PASTURE MUSHROOM 



Agarieus procerus 



Pileus : At first egg-shaped, finally expanded like a parasol 

 four to seven inches in diameter, the apex raised in a 

 prominent mound or "umbo." Color pale buff or creamy, 

 occasionally almost pure white, more or less regularly 

 spotted with the brown shaggy patches of the separating 

 epidermis, which remains of the pale brown color on the 

 "umbo." Skin' thick and somewhat tough; substance 

 hygrometric, drying and swelling naturally in its haunts. 



Gills: Unequal in length; crowded; at first almost white, 

 finally becoming creamy or pale buff. 



Stem: Tall, slender, equal, hollow, and fibrous; bulbous at 

 base, but with no sign of a "cup;" separated from the 

 gills above by a distinct space ; surface streaked and 

 speckled with brown, encircled by a loose ring. 



Spores : White, and, like the whole plant, fragrant aromatic 

 — more so, perhaps, than any other fungus. 



Taste: Distinctly sweet and " nutty," slightly pungent when 

 dry. 



Habitat: Pastures and fields, occasionally woods. 



Season: Summer. 



