New Britain herald., 1915-07-29
MUSHROOM CROPS
 WITHERING AWAY
Hunters Say $1,O0O,OO0 Worth of the Fungi Will Not Reach Market

Minneapolis, July 29.-If all the mushrooms that will jump out of Minnesota soil this year by night, and hide themselves in damp and shady places, could be gathered and distrib- uted to the 100000 families that em- brace the 2,150,000 people of the State, the cost of this years living could De cut down by $1,o00,0o0.
 At least two family dinners of de- licious food as nourishing as meat for every Minnesota family will come out of the ground, for there is bump err mushroom crop this year. Be- cause of geographic inaccessibility the major portion of the whole crop will wither as it stands.
 The Minneapolis Mushroom Club has 100 members, each of whom has the family icebox full of the edible fungi. June rains have brought up myriads and baskets full nave been brought into town from suburban woods and dells by the courageous hunters of the club.
 Great is the sport of mushroom hunting, say the elect.
 Just A Dash Of Danger. There is just that spice of danger to it that enthralls the mushroom epi- cure who scorns the high-priced bot tied stuff that delicatessen stores dis play and restaurants, at liberal price increase, spread upon steak in the proportion of about two diminutfve ones for every square foot thereof
 Out into the woods goes the Min neap polls mushroom epicure. Awe stricken neighbors watch the spoil brought back into the house and look for the obituary notice to appear a few days later
 But the mushroom hunter of ex- perfence laughs inwardly. He knows "Agaricus compestis'' when he sees It. He also knows "Amilleria meliia."
 In the woods, if he ge gourmand, he meets, perhaps, the "highbrow" member of the club, who eats the mushrooms he can pick without Nou- ble but whose real hunt in scientific and. who would rather find a new specimen; edible or poisonous, than to find pot of gold.
 How To Know Toadstools.
 The hunter who is. out to get a mess of mushrooms for his dinner scorns the Latin words. He knows shaggy mane," ''horsetail,'' "mal- tese' and like varieties by their every day names.
 How can I tell a toadstool from mushroom ?" is the stock question of the beginner in the mushroom hunting.
 A. w Latham, librarian of the Minnesota State Horticultural Socie- ty, had a twinkle in his eye as he brought out a copy of the society s official publication for 1908, which has such instruction. This is what lit says:
 First chew a bit and then eject it. If no unfavorable symptoms appear, chew and swallow a bit next day. Third day swallow a larger piece. Fourth day if no bad effects result, eat a whole one, and if no unfavor- able results follow 1t may be consid- cred edible.''
 Experience The Teacher.
 MT. Latham smiled at suggestion that the rule might be condensed to these few words.
 East mess of mushrooms. If nothing happens to you, they are all right"
 Really, however, there is 70 royal road to mushroom hunting, says ex- perts. There are 2,031 catalogues in the United States found all the way from Alaska to Florida, and like the majority of other things the subject must be studied and hunters learn by experience the edible and the poison ous
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