The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-10-13
TESTS FOR MUSHROOMS.

All the Popular Methods for Telling
 Poinsonous Kinds Found Wanting.
 The distinctions between edible and poisonous mushrooms are usually bas- ed on empirical grounds, with the re- suit that mistakes of a serious nature may, and often do, occur. The subject has recently received the attention of Prof. Labesse, who has described the characters whereby edible and poison- various localities. Many popular tests for determining the wholesomeness or otherwise of a mushroom are based on color, odor, taste and texture; on the presence of rose colored lamells or a milky juice; on the situation in which the fungi grow, and on the action of the mushrooms on various substances, including gold and silver coins, milk and onions.
 Thus, according to one popular no- ton, mushroom having a blue, violet, green or red color are unfit for food, but this test would exclude many wholesome fungi. including the green Russula and the gree Clytocybe. It has been said that only mushrooms which do not change color when cut are good to eat, but Lactarius delicious some species of Bolectus, and many other mushrooms which change color are perfectly harmless, while, on the other hand, Amanita muscaria and some other fungi which do not change color when cut should be avoided.
 Prof. Labesse points out that the pre- sence of an agreeable odor is not an in failahle test of good mushroom, as a species of Amanita TAmanite phal- llode) is especially dangerous in spite of it's pleasant ordor. There is "a dic- tum among certain amateur gatherers that q good mushroom has a grateful taste This test is useful in many cases, but not in all- Q. g.. TAmanite phal- loide and la fusse Oronge (Amanita l muscaria) are scarcely bitter, but Iquite unfit for eating. l As regards texture it is generally re- garded that compact, brittle mush- rooms, with dry skin are edible, but Prof. Labesse considers this to be mere prejudice, as the eating of cer- tain species of Russula would serious ly indispose. any one placing confidence in these characters. Mushrooms with rose colofed lameliae are usually con- sidered to be edible, but this is false motion, some species of Volvaria and lother poisonous fungi possessing this character Mushrooms with a milky juice are regarded as dangerous by some collectors, but this rule must be followed too literally as many excellent members of the genus Lactarius would thereby be excluded.
 The situation in which mushrooms grow is a very uncertain criterion of Iedibility. Thus, it would be dangerous to regard all mushrooms growing in meadows, open fields and roadsides as good, since many suspected kinds grow in such places. On the other 4 hand mushrooms growing i'll confer ous woods and under trees generally have been condemned, but the succu- lent Lactarius deliclosus grows in coni- ferrous woods and the edible Pholiota grows under populars, while species of helvella and Hydrum, which flourish in shady woods, form a wholesome dish
 l The blackening of a gold or silver coin or ring does not prove a mush- room to be poisonous; the blackening lis generally due to more or less decay in the mushroom, as fresh mushrooms, whether poisonous or not, fall to black en these metals. The curdling of milk by mushrooms is another property