456 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



cultivated mushroom, and are put u]3 hy x^ersons who know their busi- 

 ness. Another equally general and self-evident rule is, not to collect 

 or eat fungi which have begun to decay or are not otherwise in good 

 condition. 



THE COMMON MUSHROOM. 



Assuming, then, that these two rules are never to be neglected, let 

 us pass to a description of the fungus known as the common mush- 

 room, the Agaricus campestris of botanists. This is practically the 

 only species cultivated in this country, and is the only fresh species 

 sold in the E"orthern markets in the winter months. It grows wild 

 during the summer months, being most abundant in August and Sep- 

 tember, and inhabits grassy fields, especially those where animals 

 have been at pasture. It is especially abundant in fields near the 

 seashore, and is much less common in the mountains. It is almost 

 never found in woods, and is not plentiful anywhere except in grassy 

 pastures. PI. XXI represents the mushroom in its normal condition. 

 The color of the stalk and pileus varies from whitish to a shade of 

 drab, but the color of the gills, a i)oint which must never be over- 

 looked, is at first pinkish and then a brownish purple. This color is 

 due to the spores, which are borne on the gills, and if the pileus is cut 

 off from the stalk and placed on a piece of white paper the spores fall 

 on the paper and in a few hours leave on it a colored impression of the 

 gills. The stalk is cylindrical and solid, and has, rather more than 

 halfway up, a membranous collar called the ring; but there is no mem- 

 brane or scales found at the base of the stalk, Avhich appears to come 

 directly out of the ground. Mushrooms are sometimes single, but 

 frequently there are several, though not manj^, in a cluster, some 

 mature, others younger. If we examine a specimen before it is fully 

 expanded, we shall not be able to see the gills, since there is a thin 

 membrane, called the veil, which extends from the stalk to the mar- 

 gin of the pileus. When the veil is ruptured, exposing the gills behind, 

 a part remains attached to the stalk, forming the ring already referred 

 to, and generally some fragments remain attached to the margin of 

 the pileus. In older specimens the ring shrinks, but generally a mark 

 remains, showing where it was attached. 



Since nearly all persons begin their attempts at fungus hunting hj 

 going in search of the common mushroom, it is of the greatest impor- 

 tance that they should bear clearly in mind the characteristic marks 

 by which that species is distinguished. The general appearance is 

 sufficiently shown on PL XXI. 



Summed up briefly, the first thing to be noticed is whether the gills are 

 a purple brown, as they should be when mature. Most of the fatal errors 

 have arisen from not noticing this point and selecting species where the 

 gills were white. The next point is to notice whether the stem is cylin- 

 drical and solid and has a ring or traces of a ring above, and especiall}^ 



