United States Species of Lycojperdon. 291 



kept in trays or small paper boxes. The immature ones 

 should be gathered just before maturity. K taken too 

 early they shrivel too much and do not keep their shape 

 as well as older ones. 



Puff balls are useful because they are edible. None of 

 the species are considered dangerous or even hurtful, yet 

 some are so small and so scarce that they are not of much 

 value fi»r food. The larger ones are generally better fla- 

 vored than the smaller and more common ones. They 

 should be used as food in the immature condition only, 

 while the flesh is yet of a pure white color. "When it 

 begins to discolor its goodness is gone. The method of 

 preparing them for the table is as follows. Take off the 

 rind and cut the fleshy part into thin slices. Beat up two 

 or three or more, eggs according to the quantity to be 

 prepared, and dip the slices in it. Then fry in butter, 

 seasoning with salt, pepper and savory herbs if desired. 

 Another method is to put the slices in water and heat to 

 the boiling point, then take them out and fry in butter as 

 before. Puff-balls as an article of food have this advantage 

 over mushrooms. They are not often infested by insects 

 or their larvae and there is scarcely any possibility of mis- 

 taking any deleterious species for them. In the following 

 descriptions those species whose esculent qualities have 

 been tested by the writer are marked edible. 



SYNOPTICAL TABLE OF SPECIES. 

 Section 1. Peridium rupturing irregularly. 



Spores smooth a. 



Spores rough b. 



a. Plant very large, sessile, spores dingy-olive . . L. giganteum. 

 a. Plantlarge, with a stem-like base, spores brown L. caelatum." 

 h. Plant large, stem-like base short, spores pur- 

 ple-brown L. cyathiforme. 



h. Plant medium size, stem elongated, spores 



brown L. saccatum. 



