REPORT OF STATE BOTANIST, 1897 269 
plants and ferns for this report and to complete it in another, or 
else to prepare the whole for a later report or bulletin. The latter 
course seems to me the better. 
The investigation of the species of edible mushrooms of the state 
has continued to receive attention. Those species that were unusu¬ 
ally abundant last year have been unusually scarce this year. The 
common mushroom has scarcely appeared except in single and very 
rare examples. With these, as with some cultivated plants, there 
seems to be what are commonly called off years, which follow fruit¬ 
ful ones. I11 such years the conditions appear to be unfavorable to 
a full crop. Other species which were not remarkable for their 
abundance last year, have been plentiful this year. Several of these 
have been tested and have been considered worthy of admission into 
the list of edible species. Descriptions of n of these will be found 
in a part of the report marked E. The species have been illustrated 
by figures of natural size on plates of the same dimensions as those 
previously published in illustrating our edible and poisonous 
mushrooms. 
Respectfully submitted 
Charles H. Peck 
State botanist 
Albany, December 29, 1897 
