New-York tribune., 1902-04-27
MUSHROOMS VERSUS MEAT.
No END OF DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS
VEGETATION WASTES IN WOODS
AND FIELDS.

with meat at such high price 1t would oe
well for the community were its members to take
advantage of the situation and learn what other
nutritious foods nature supplies and the markets
furnish" said Miss Helen Louise johnson. in a
lecture on Mushrooms and Their PREPARATION.
before the domestic science department OF the
BROOKLYN Institute last week.
The time is at hand for the earth to Yield her
increase and great advantage, not only TO the
poor but TO all classes. might be derived from
study of the food value of many of natures law
ishIy given and much neglected gifts. The annual
distribution by the Chinese Government OF nu-
rnerous treatises herbs which may be utilized
for food has been. it is said. of nestimable value
to hungry Cinnamon In famine times. The United
States Government spends thousands Of dollars an
nually on bulletins published for the purpose OF
disseminating knowledge of the use of the most
common products of the land and yet in times Of
prices its people eating the same Old
thing in the old way.
In the midst of poverty and all manner Of priva-
tons resulting from exorbtant prices and INSULT
cent wages, the American people demand beef,
and yet woods are teeming with food. and tons of
rich. wholesome diet rottfng under the trees
because there is to gather it.
There is always the unfortunate fact that those
who know what to buy and eat are not the ones
who stand in need of such knowledge the most. 1t
is the poor of both city and country who should
have help in ma king the most of what nature pro-
vides
The painful thing of such a condition as the
many young families, not poor, but Of what We
call the middle class. who without even an
ordinary working knowledge Cf the Kitchen In
many cases the wife is former shop girl and the
husband is a clerk. They both work hard and
need wholesome, nourishng food, and they are
accustomed 10 believe that this lies in the butcher
shop. They know of nothing to take its place and
the result is disastrous.
THEIR NUTRITIVE VALUE.
Mushrooms equal meat in food value. but GER
tain authorities hold that if fungi taken in suf
fcient quantities for nourishment they disagree
with the eater. An eminent authority of this city
is responsible the statement that this is always
the case Mushrooms. like meat. are a concen-
trated food. Unlike meat however overeating Of
mushrooms is followed soon by uncomfortable SEN
sations while the bad effects caused by overeating
meat are immediate and are usually charged to
something else Any food used wrongly or in too
sreat quantities Will sooner or later produce dele
terious results
I'm this country mushrooms are used largely as
entrees with dinners rich in other heterogeneous
| foods and the eaters suffer in consequence from
overloaded stomachs and overloaded systems When
food contains the nutritive properties OF meat II
is obvious that il should be used as SUBSTITUTE Iof
| not as an accompaniment of, meat. wrong COOK
| ing is responsible for much OF the reputation lot
| indigestibleness ascrtbed mushrooms. for with
! wrong treatment mushrooms may easily be rem
dered tough Another frequent cause OF trouRle Is
| the use OF mushrooms that are not fresh
Not less than hundred and fifty esculent'
| delicious nutritious species of fung. grow IN this
| country, and of that number there are several
which bear such striking characteristics of form
| and feature TO make them easily recognizable
IN a bulletin on mushrooms published by the
| Department of Agriculture Dr. FarloW. OF harvard
| University. says
The question which every one asks first Is, How
can you tell a mushroom from toadstoo? This
| Is one Of the questions which no one can answer,
uriess an explanation Of why the question should
| reyer be asked may be considered An answer. You