grassy grounds, and is chiefly found in wet or showery weather 
during July and August. 
It is highly praised as an edible mushroom by some writers, 
but to me it is scarcely more than second quality. 
The genus Marasmius is known from all preceding genera of 
white-spored Agaricineae by the tough texture of the small, thin 
plants that compose it. They quickly dry or wither, but revive 
again on the renewal of wet weather, or on the application of 
moisture. The gills also are thin, and rather tough and flexible 
like the cap. The stem is slender, tough, and often cartilaginous. 
It may be clothed with a downy or velvety coat, or be perfectly 
smooth, glossy or shining. Most of the species are too thin and 
tough to be of value for eating, but the Fairy-ring mushroom, 
Marasmius oreades, has long been classed among the edible spe- 
cies, and long been held in high estimation. Its name has been 
suggested from its tendency to grow in circles or ares of circles, 
“fairy rings” as they are called. In England the plants have 
been known as Scotch bonnets. When young and moist the cap 
is pale yellowish-red or tawny-red, but as the moisture disappears, 
the color fades to pale-yellow or buff. F 
The gills are broad and wide apart, rounded or deeply notched 
at the inner extremity and slightly attached to or free from the 
steni. They are whitish or creamy yellow. 
The stem is rather slender, solid, tough, and covered with a 
whitish or grayish close and compact tomentum or villosity which 
can be scraped away, revealing the surface of the stem beneath. 
The cap is generally about an inch across, sometimes more, and 
the stem is one or two inches long and generally less than a quar- 
ter of an inch thick. 
The Fairy Ring mushroom loves open grassy places, and grows 
especially in lawns, pastures and by the roadsides. It may be 
found from May to October if sufficiently warm and moist 
weather should prevail. The following are some of the recorded 
notices of it: It is very good while young; when young, it may be 
eaten as an omelet; it has a very agreeable taste and odor and 
gives a delicious flavor to sauces, but it needscooking a long time; 
it is recommended especially as a condiment; it is delicious when 
broiled with butter; it may be pickled or dried for future use; 
it is a very delicious mushroom, and the abundance in which it 
everywhere grows, makes it a very valuable one; its tendency to 
toughness is easily overcome by proper cooking. 
One correspondent says that it is excellent for flavoring, but 
66 
