COMMON MUSHROOMS OF THE UNITED STATES 



439 



Fully to appreciate its beauty, one should see 

 the plant in Nature's own setting, as it reposes 

 upon a fresh, green, mossy bank at the foot 

 of a great fir, with the crystalline drops of the 

 morning dew still studding the smooth, velvety 

 coat, with birds singing overhead and squirrels 

 scolding us for calling at such an unseasonable 

 hour in the morning. 



THE INK MUSHROOMS, OR INK- 

 CAPS (Species of Coprinus) 



(See Color Plate XII) 



The Ink-caps need no formal introduction, 

 for every one has seen the "Shaggy-mane" 

 (Coprinus comatus) (Color Plate XII) stand- 

 ing on end, like Columbus' egg, in lawns and 

 other grassy places. If one returns later one 

 may behold 



"Their mass rotted off them flake by flake, 

 Till the thick stalk stuck like a murderer's 



stake. 

 Where rags of loose flesh yet tremble on high, 

 Infecting the winds that wander by." 



Shelley's lurid lines allude to the liquefaction 

 of the caps, a feature which at once distin- 

 guishes the Coprini from other black-spored 

 agarics. It is, however, not a process of putre- 

 faction, as the poet would have us believe, but 

 a natural physiological one. 



Shaggy-manes are rapid growers, and, com- 

 ing up in dense masses, as they sometimes do, 

 they are capable of producing considerable 

 pressure upon objects that obstruct their 

 growth. The writer knows of a case where a 

 thick, newly laid concrete walk was broken up 

 for some distance by a colony of these large, 

 yet tender, mushrooms. 



The black "ink" into which the caps of Cop- 

 rini dissolve can be employed for writing. In- 

 deed, in France, during the war, it was pro- 

 posed that Coprinus ink be used in place of the 

 regular article, which was becoming more and 

 more expensive. But even in peace times the 

 mushroom ink would prove valuable, as it 

 could be used in legal documents or in any 

 important papers that are apt to be fraudu- 

 lently imitated. 



Ink from some especially rare species with 

 well-marked spore characters would be well- 

 nigh impossible to imitate, as the microscope 

 would divulge instantly and beyond peradven- 

 ture whether the fluid was obtained from the 

 rare Coprinus. To make matters still more 

 difficult for forgers, characteristic, easily rec- 

 ognized spores from other rare species — not 

 necessarily black-spored nor from agarics — 

 could be added to this forgery-proof and in- 

 delible writing fluid. Small amounts of gum 

 arabic and essence of cloves in the ink will 

 give adhesiveness and a pleasant odor. 



The edibility of the Coprini (see also Glis- 

 tening Coprinus, Color Plate VIII) is unques- 

 tioned by most writers, but care should be ex- 

 ercised that only fresh specimens are utilized, 

 and that they be cooked without delay, as 

 deliquescence sets in very soon. 



THE WRINKLED PHOLIOTA, OR 

 THE GYPSY (Pholiota caperata). 



Edible 



(See Color Plate XIII) 



The ocher-colored cap with whitish, fleecy, 

 silky fibrils scattered over the central portion, 

 the brownish-yellow, longitudinally wrinkled, 

 saw-edged gills, together with the slightly vol- 

 vate, whitish stem that bears a double-edged 

 ring about midway of its length, make the 

 Wrinkled Pholiota one of the most easily 

 recognized species. 



It is quite common, growing scattered or 

 gregariously in woods (especially of pine), in 

 mossy swamps, and in open places, from July 

 to October. Its edibility is unquestioned. 



THE PARASOL MUSHROOM (Lepiota 

 procera). Edible 



(See Color Plate XIV) 



Happy is the mushroom-hunter if, after a 

 foray, his "bag" includes many Parasols, for it 

 is not often that he encounters this most de- 

 sirable species in sufficient quantity to satisfy 

 his appetite. 



Though pretty effectually camouflaged in 

 coloring, its great height makes it a conspicu- 

 ous object. A giant specimen once reported to 

 the writer measured seven inches across the 

 cap and twenty-two inches in stem length. 

 This monster mushroom was found growing 

 among low blueberry bushes— a fact that would 

 seem to indicate an acid food requirement for 

 the species. 



Successful efforts have been made in France 

 to cultivate the plant from its spores, and Pro- 

 fessor Duggar, in this country, has demon- 

 strated that it responds vigorously to the 

 tissue-culture method. It is to be hoped that 

 some of our pure-culture spawn-producers will 

 take up the problem and produce the spawn l,a 

 a commercial scale, so that it may be bought 

 by growers. Lepiota rhacodes, a near relative 

 and just as desirable, might prove even more 

 responsive to culture methods. 



In the opinion of gourmets, the Parasol 

 mushroom is at its best when quickly broiled 

 over the live embers of a camp-fire, with just 

 enough basting with hot butter to keep it from 

 burning. Then, properly seasoned and served 

 with a partridge or two, the gustatory appara- 

 tus experiences sensations not readily for- 

 gotten. 



Such an eventuality as an oversupply almost 

 never happens, but if by rare chance more 

 specimens should be collected than can be at 

 once disposed of, it is well to remember that 

 dry they are even better than fresh. 



The habitat of the Parasol mushroom is 

 meadows, pastures, and open, thin woods; 

 time, summer and early autumn ; distribution, 

 cosmopolitan. 



[For Color Plate XV, see the Fly Mush- 

 room, page 403.] 



[For Color Plate XVI, see the Deadly Ama- 

 nita, page 409.] 



