The evening times., 1897-12-11
SPECIES OF Mushrooms
Official Shswilgs by an Agri.
cultural Department Botanist.
THOSE that ARE EDIBLE
Bulletin Brought Out by the Death
of Count Achilles de vecchi and
Chung YIN Ting-DescriptiOns Of
Various Fungt-Products in the
District Of Columbia.

The recent death Of Count Achilles de
vecchi, who died In this city ON November
IL and Chung Yu Ting, who died in Oc-
tober, 1894, both OF whom were victims
Of mushroom poisoning, Influenced the
Agricultural Departme 1T toissu an illustrat-
ed bulletin. IL which the different species
OF the fungus, poisonous and edible, are de
scribcd minutcly Botanist Frederick v.
Coville says:
Many kinds of fleshy fungi are without
question delicious s8nd higuly nutritious
I0ods, while the gathering Oh them ~ an
exhilarating ,IastiLue. A novice who pro-
poses u gatner nusnrOOms for hilIselr should
never Use species for food until he has
found out positively its name and it's non
POISONOUS character. He should then IA
nliliarize himself with this species until he
knows IL from all others az certainly as
he knows the cabbage, the turnip, the
cauhiiower, or any Olnef OF Our cNnmon
vegetables. He should confine himself rig
idly To tnis his personal euible list, and
should add To It only as thus recommended
His authority for the name and qualities of
each Kind he adds to this list should be
some person having an unquestioned expert
knowledge Of Mushrooms. There IL no SINGLE
test and no safe series Of tests for poisonous
mushrooms. The poisOns contained In the
various species are extremely diverse in
their physiological effects and their chemi-
cal composition. In the District of Columbia
occur AT least thirty gOod-azededible species.
at least four species EnOw wn to be Poisonous,
and several more that are suspected Of be-
ing poisonous
for tnose who purchase their mushrooms
instead OF gathering them Tor themselves,
the Judgment Of the c0iored market wom-
a n n ~ Hnr
consider az safe guide as the decision OF
the highest botanical authority, not because
their kno owledge OF mushrooms is extensive,
but because they are thoroughly familiar
with the two or three edible species they
handle and know them as certainly from
POISONOUS Kinds as they know perslmmons
from crab apples or Opossuins from rab-
DIS. The cosored women shun all other
KINGS OF rungi, whether POISONOUS or not
with Interpretations dread.
Ihe coiiiisOn uiue.iOU.u 10 ,ue principal
inusilroOlii OF the markets. In the months
OF September, October ana November.
when the autumn rains have succeeded
the usual dry period OF summer and the
continued cold weather OF winter has not
yet set in, the chief harvest OF this nIusil-
room occurs. In the vicinity of Washing
ton the most abundant crops come, In
normal years, IN OctoDer, wnen soaking
rains are accompanied by warm nights.
Within at Its earliest stage the flesh is
OF milk hite color, solid. and without
an appreciable Juice. Within two OF
three days 1t becou,es soft, turns yellow
lsi,, develops a W atery ana Ialer an ai,ioer-
colored Juice, and continues its develop
nent through later stages. Frurn the
character OF the fungus at this stage has
arisen a name by which IL is faiuiliarly
known by the cOIored people in the vi
cinity of Washington, 1.-THE devils snuff
box. ii is dry and leathery, the spores
all blown away and the slender threads
gether on the surface into q smooth
skin. The specimen is tilted forward
but viewed directly from the side it
would present roughly the form of a
broad urn. This Is the characteristic
forin Of an old puifbalI OF this species.
The fairy ring mushroom is another Of
the commonest species on the la WINS of the
City OF Washington, Yet so little attention
is paid to the study Of mushrooms that sell
dom does one meet person who knows
that such a'thing as fairy-ring exists.
The grounds of the Department Of AgricuI-
turecontainssco scores of them, a nd the grounds
of the Dean property, for example, at the
head OF Connecticut avenue, have some very
perfect ones. In general they can be found
in any old and well-kept lawn.
In the days of early superstition in
Europe these rings were supposed to mark
the place of fairy dances, and thus they
were called fairy-rings
Common salt dissolved in water, Prof.
Colyille sa Us. is a solvent of phallin, but,
while it might be applied in removing the
poison from the death cup before cooking,
it is, unfortunately, impossible Of applica-
tion after the poison has taken effect.
1t will be noted that both the species of
poisonous mushrooms here described have
white gills and white spores, and that all
the edible. gill bearing species here de-
scriOed, except the coprinus comatus, have
gills OF some other color. In coprinus coma
tus the spores at maturity are black. Sew
eral species of mushrooms having both
white gills and white spores are edible, but
a beginner might easily mistake a n amanita
for them, and it would be well for him at
the start to leave them entirely alone.