repeated question, “How shall I distinguish the mushroom 
from the toadstool?” In the effort to answer this question, many 
rules have been given by various writers, some of which are 
wholly unreliable; and to the others there are so many excep- 
tions that they are practically worthless. The only safe and rea- 
sonable way to distinguish between the good and the bad is to 
recognize each species by its own specific characters. It is in 
this way that we recognize the useful and esculent species among 
flowering plants, and it must be in this way that we select our 
‘edible species of mushrooms. A little more care may be neces- 
sary in one case than in the other, because of a closer resem- 
‘blance between good and bad fungi than between good and bad 
flowering plants. The principle that i is to govern in this matter 
is the same in both cases. The greater the number of esculent 
‘species clearly and confidently recognizable by any one, the 
greater the field from which he may draw his supplies. If but 
a single species is known, he can safely eat of that species only, 
unless he may be able to avail himself of the wider knowledge of 
some other person. In a few cases it is possible to affirm of cer- 
‘tain groups or families of closely related species that no danger- 
ous ones are known in them. For example, we have six species 
‘of morel in New York, and no morel is known to be really 
poisonous. It is, therefore, pretty safe to say that he who is able 
to distinguish a morel from all other fungi may confidently eat 
morels without fear of ill results, though he may not be able to. 
separate one species of morel from another. 
The same thing may be said of pufi-balls. Any one able to 
discriminate between puff-balls and other fungi, may with con- 
siderable assurance make use of puff-balls when in proper condi- 
tion, even if he does not know the real distinctive characters of 
any one species. The probability is that he will not thereby be 
poisoned; but there is not absolute safety. It is possible that 
some deleterious puff-ball of great scarcity exists which has not 
yet been discovered, or which, if known, has not yet been tested. 
Therefore, it is safer, even in these cases, to partake only of those 
which are specifically known, and which have been found by 
actual experiment, to be good for food. -The rules which say 
that all morels, all puff-balls, all fairy-clubs, and all tender hydna 
or spine mushrooms are safe eating, would be better if limited by 
the words, “so. far as known.” 
_ Many rules have been published by authors and writers for 
periodicals which have an extremely limited application, and 
are, therefore, misleading, and worse than useless: A writer, 
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