Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
December,  1896.  ) 
Mushrooms  and  Fungi. 
65i 
find  that  I  ought  to  have  been  several  times  poisoned  by  what  I  had 
eaten.  Denouncing  the  old  doctor  as  no  good,  I  obtained,  with 
great  difficulty,  other  books  upon  the  subject.  They  contained  the 
same  startling  information.  Determining  that  much  error  existed 
in  the  standard  works  upon  fungi;  that  toadstools  were  a  much  slan- 
dered and  grossly  defamed  growth ;  that  here  was  an  open  field  for 
investigation  and  discovery,  which  would  amply  repay  me  in  good 
meals  and  absorbing  interest,  I  pursued  my  experiments  in  eating  of 
them,  until,  to-day,  I  have  increased  the  list  of  edible  fungi  to  437 
kinds,  and  the  work  is  not  yet  finished. 
I  mention  this  bit  of  economic  and  gastronomic  history  simply  to 
show  that  persistent,  systematic  investigation  among  Nature's  pro- 
ducts, even  in  forbidden  fields,  yields  rich  reward. 
I  do  not  propose  to  tell  you  of  all  the  edible  kinds,  or  of  all  that 
I  ascertained  to  be  poisonous,  noxious,  undesirable  in  flavor,  or 
indigestible  because  of  toughness;  but  to  mention  the  several  orders 
and  prominent  genera  in  which  both  edible  and  non-edible  species 
are  found ;  to  describe  the  most  plentiful  varieties,  and  direct  you 
how  to  go  about  determining  fot  yourselves  which  are  edible  and 
which  are  not;  and,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  suggest  plans  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  desirable  species. 
Among  fungi,  the  Hymenomycetes  is  an  order  which  has  the 
hymenium  or  seed-bearing  surface  exposed.  It  is  among  the  Hymen- 
omycetes that  the  edible  toadstools  are  principally  found.  The 
order  is  divided  into  six  sub-orders  :  the  Agaricini,  in  which  the  seed 
or  spore-bearing  surface  is  spread  over  gills  or  modifications  of  the 
same ;  the  Polyporei,  where  it  lines  tubes ;  the  Hydnei,  where  it 
covers  teeth  or  protuberances  of  many  forms ;  the  Thelephoreae,. 
where  /it  is  horizontal  and  mostly  on  the  under  surface ;  the  Clava- 
riei,  upon  which  it  is  vertical  and  over  the  entire  surface ;  and  the 
Tremellini,  where  it  surmounts  and  surrounds  a  gelatinous  mass, 
commonly  called  fairy  butter. 
The  first  of  these  sub-orders,  the  Agaricini,  so-called  after  the 
Agari  of  Sarmatia,  contains  by  far  the  greatest  number  of  species. 
Its  individuals  are  found  growing  everywhere  and  upon  almost 
everything.  Its  genera  have  special  habitats,  and  are  as  contrary 
about  living  there,  and  there  only,  as  the  proverbial  Berkshire  pig. 
The  genera  are  divided  into  series,  determined  by  the  color  of 
their  spores.    The  first  genus  is  Agaricus ;  the  first  of  the  white- 
