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Basic biological concepts and processes with a human emphasis.

From the unique delivery of biology content, to the time tested art program,
to the complete integration of the text with technology, Dr. Sylvia Mader has
formed a teaching system that will both motivate and enable your students
to understand and appreciate the wonders of all areas of biology. Inquiry
into Life, 14/e emphasizes the application of all areas of biology to
knowledge of human concerns, what the students are able to relate to. This
distinctive text was developed to stand apart from all other non-majors texts
with a unique approach, unparalleled art, and a straightforward, succinct
writing style that has been acclaimed by both users and reviewers. In the
14th edition, the authors have focused on the concept of inquiry and a
student’s inherent desire to learn. To do this, they integrated a tested,
traditional learning system with modern digital and pedagogical approaches
designed to stimulate and engage today’s student.

About the Author

As an educator, Dr. Michael Windelspecht has taught introductory biology,

genetics, and human genetics in the online, traditional, and hybrid
environments at community colleges, comprehensive universities, and
military institutions. For over a decade he served as the Introductory
Biology Coordinator at Appalachian State University where he directed a
program that enrolled over 4,500 students annually. He currently serves as
an adjunct professor of biology at ASU where he teaches nonmajors
biology and human genetics in the online and hybrid formats. He was
educated at Michigan State University and the University of South Florida.
Dr. Windelspecht is also active in promoting the scientific literacy of
secondary school educators. He has led multiple workshops on integrating
water quality research into the science curriculum, and has spent several
summers teaching Pakistani middle school teachers. As an author, Dr.
Windelspecht has published five reference textbooks, and multiple print
and online lab manuals. He served as the series editor for a ten-volume
work on the human body. For years Dr. Windelspecht has been active in
the development of multimedia resources for the online and hybrid science
classrooms. Along with his wife, Sandra, he owns a multimedia production
company, Ricochet Creative Productions, which actively develops and
assesses new technologies for the science classroom.

Sylvia S. Mader has authored several nationally recognized biology texts

published by McGraw Hill. Educated at Bryn Mawr College, Harvard
University, Tufts University, and Nova Southeastern University, she holds
degrees in both Biology and Education. Over the years she has taught at
University of Massachusetts, Lowell; Massachusetts Bay Community
College; Suffolk University; and Nathan Mayhew Seminars. Her ability to
reach out to science-shy students led to the writing of her first text, Inquiry
into Life, that is now in its thirteenth edition. Highly acclaimed for her crisp
and entertaining writing style, her books have become models for others
who write in the field of biology. Although her writing schedule is always
quite demanding, Dr. Mader enjoys taking time to visit and explore the
various ecosystems of the biosphere. Her several trips to the Florida
Everglades and Caribbean coral reefs resulted in talks she has given to
various groups around the country. She has visited the tundra in Alaska,
the taiga in the Canadian Rockies, the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and
tropical rain forests in South America and Australia. A photo safari to the
Serengeti in Kenya resulted in a number of photographs for her texts. She
was thrilled to think of walking in Darwin’s steps when she journeyed to the
Galápagos Islands with a group of biology educators. Dr. Mader was also a
member of a group of biology educators who traveled to China to meet with
their Chinese counterparts and exchange ideas about the teaching of
modern-day biology.
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mushroom
and Toadstools
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Mushroom and Toadstools

Author: Worthington George Smith

Release date: October 24, 2019 [eBook #60561]

Most recently updated: October 17, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Paul Marshall and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MUSHROOM AND

TOADSTOOLS ***
EDIBLE AND POISONOUS
FUNGI.
“O, mickle is the powerful grace, that lies
In plants, herbs, stones, and their true qualities;
For nought so vile that on the earth doth live,
But to the earth some special good doth give.”
Rom. and Jul., Act II., Sc. 3.

LONDON:
WYMAN AND SONS, PRINTERS, GREAT QUEEN STREET,
LINCOLN’S-INN FIELDS, W.C.
MUSHROOMS AND TOADSTOOLS:
HOW TO DISTINGUISH EASILY THE

Differences between Edible and Poisonous

Fungi.

WITH
FIGURES OF TWENTY-NINE EDIBLE AND
THIRTY-ONE POISONOUS SPECIES.

BY

WORTHINGTON G. SMITH, F.L.S., M.A.I.

THIRD EDITION.

LONDON:
HARDWICKE AND BOGUE, 192 PICCADILLY.
1876.
 PREFACE.
“The proof of the Fungus is in the eating.” I have constantly eaten
every species figured on the “Edible Sheet,” and many others that
are not. Few, I imagine, will expect me to have eaten every species
on the “Poisonous Sheet,” bearing, as they do, such adjective names
as “gloomy,” “fiery,” “satanical,” “inflaming,” &c.
However, years ago, without a proper guide and with very little
experience, I more than once became personally acquainted with
the unpleasant qualities of one or two dangerous species, the
particulars of which will be found in the proper place.
If the following brief descriptions are used in connection with the
two sheets of drawings, which I have copied from nature and
transferred to the stones myself (or in reference to the large
drawings in the Bethnal Green Museum), no one who is capable of
distinguishing one thing from another need fear making a mistake.
I shall be glad to give information regarding any species
forwarded to me carriage paid.

W. G. SMITH.
15, Mildmay Grove, London, N.
 INDEX TO POPULAR NAMES.
(E. refers to Edible, and P. to Poisonous Sheet;
B.G.M. to the Number of the Drawing in the Bethnal Green
Museum.)
Fig. Page B.G.M.
P. 6. Astringent mushroom 52 582
P. 29. Bitter tube-mushroom 62 617
P. 17. Blood-stained mushroom 57 518
P. 1. Bundled stump-mushroom 50 331
E. 4. Candle clavaria 24 843
E. 8. Chantarelle 28 539
E. 24. Clouded mushroom 44 73
E. 16. Curled helvella 37 1673
E. 20. Edible morel 41 1668
E. 2. ” tube-mushroom 22, 62 610
P. 21. Emetic mushroom 27, 59 528
E. 28. Fairy-ring champignon 15, 47 553
P. 30. False champignon 48, 62 550
P. 19. ” chantarelle 58 540
P. 16. Fetid mushroom 57 530
P. 4. ” leather-fungus 51 760
P. 31. ” wood-witch. 63 914
P. 15. Fiery milk-mushroom 56 500
P. 26. ” tube-mushroom 61 597
E. 10. Fir-cone mushroom 31 5
P. 13. Fly mushroom 54 3
E. 7. Furrowed clavaria 28 827
E. 25. Giant puff-ball 45 930
” morel 42
 Fig. Page B.G.M.
P. 10. Gloomy tube-mushroom 53 607
P. 11. Griping milk-mushroom 53 488
E. 9. Horse mushroom 15, 29 317
P. 24. Incrusted mushroom 40, 60 278
E. 18. Lilac-stemmed mushroom 15, 39 65
E. 21. Liver fungus 42 716
P. 18. Livid milk-mushroom 58 498
P. 9. Magpie mushroom 58 379
E. 13. Maned mushroom 34 374
P. 7. Matrix-bearing mushroom 52 2
E. 5. Meadow mushroom 15, 24, 26 316
P. 5. Olive-gilled mushroom 51 328
E. 11. Orange-milk mushroom 32, 46 502
E. 17. Oyster mushroom 38 179
E. 26. Pear-milk mushroom 46 508
E. 15. Plum mushroom 36 225
P. 8. Poisonous spring mushroom 52 1
P. 14. Poisonous forest mushroom 54 212
P. 28. Pungent milk-mushroom 62 505
E. 12. Purple cobweb-mushroom 33 420
E. 1. Red-fleshed mushroom 21 7
P. 2. Red juice-mushroom 50 482
P. 12. Ruddy milk-mushroom 51 512
P. 27. Satanical tube-mushroom 61 606
E. 14. Scaly mushroom 16, 35 13
P. 22. Slimy dung-mushroom 59 327
E. 22. Spine-bearing mushroom 43 718
E. 19. St. George’s mushroom 16, 36, 40 62
P. 23. Sulphury mushroom 60 55
P. 3. Trellised Clathrus 51 917
E. 29. Truffle 16, 48 1916
E. 3. Variable Mushroom 23 522
 Fig. Page B.G.M.
P. 25. Verdigris mushroom 60 322
E. 23. Viscid white mushroom 43 470
E. 27. White fir-wood mushroom 46 80
E. 6. Yellow-gilled mushroom 27 536
P. 20. Yellow milk-mushroom 58 503
INDEX TO SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
Fig. Page B.G.M.
P. 25. Agaricus æruginosus 60 322
E. 9. ” arvensis 15, 29 317
” cæsareus 23, 26
E. 5. ” campestris 15, 24, 26 316
P. 24. ” crustuliniformis 40, 60 278
E. 27. ” dealbatus 46 80
” euosmus 38
E. 9. ” exquisitus 29 317
P. 1. ” fascicularis 50 331
P. 14. ” sinuatus 54 212
E. 19. ” gambosus 16, 36, 40 62
P. 13. ” muscarius 54 3
E. 24. ” nebularis 44 73
” nudus 39
” odorus 47
” orcellus 36 225
E. 17. ” ostreatus 38 179
E. 18. ” personatus 15, 39 65
P. 7. ” phalloides 52
” pratensis 25
E. 14. ” procerus 16, 35
E. 15. ” prunulus 36 225
” rachodes 36
E. 1. ” rubescens 21 7
P. 22. ” semiglobatus 59 327
” silvicola 25
E. 10. ” strobiliformis 31 5
 Fig. Page B.G.M.
P. 5. ” sublateritius 51 328
P. 23. ” sulfureus 60 55
” vaginatus 32
P. 8. ” vernus 52 1
” villaticus 30
Boletus æstivalis 23 612
” chrysenteron 23
E. 2. ” edulis 22, 62 610
P. 29. ” felleus 62 617
P. 10. ” luridus 53 607
P. 26. ” piperatus 61 597
P. 27. ” Satanas 61 606
” scaber 23 615
P. 19. Cantharellus aurantiacus 58 540
E. 8. ” cibarius 28 539
P. 3. Clathrus cancellatus 51 917
Clavaria coralloides 28
E. 7. ” rugosa 28 827
E. 4. ” vermiculata 24 843
Coprinus atramantarius 35
E. 13. ” comatus 34 374
P. 9. ” picaceus 52 420
E. 12. Cortinarius violacens 33 420
E. 21. Fistulina hepatica 42 716
E. 16. Helvella crispa 37 1673
” lacunosa 37 1674
E. 22. Hydum repandum 43 718
P. 2. Hygrophorus conicus 50 482
” niveus 44
” pratensis 44
” psittacinus 44
E. 23. ” virgineus 43 470
 Fig. Page B.G.M.
P. 28. Lactarius acris 62 505
E. 11. ” deliciosus 32, 47 502
P. 15. ” piperatus 56 500
P. 18. ” pyrogalus 58 498
P. 12. ” rufus 54 512
P. 20. ” theiogalus 58 503
P. 11. ” torminosus 53 488
E. 26. ” volemum 46 508
E. 25. Lycoperdon giganteum 45 930
E. 28. Marasmius oreades 15, 47 553
P. 30. ” urens 48, 62 550
E. 20. Morchella esculenta 41 1668
” crassipes 42
P. 6. Panus stypticus 52 582
P. 31. Phallus impudicus 63 914
E. 6. Russula alatacea 27 536
P. 21. ” emetica 27, 59 528
P. 16. ” fœtens 57 530
” furcata 23
E. 3. ” heterophylla 23 522
P. 17. ” sanguinea 57 518
” virescens 24
P. 4. Thelephora palmata 51 760
E. 29. Tuber æstivum 16, 48 1916
” cibarium 49
 INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS.

“...... Oh, who can tell

The hidden power of hearbes, and might of magicke spell?”
Spenser.

Perhaps no other country can vie with Great Britain in the vast
number of edible species of fungi that may be gathered during all
seasons of the year, from one end of the land to the other. The
pastures and woodlands literally teem with them; they are, however
(sad to say), little known, sadly neglected, or looked upon with
unmerited suspicion. The literature, too, of the subject is so small,
and the scientific part of the study so extremely difficult to begin,
that few persons dare venture to test the qualities of any fungus
except the meadow mushroom, and instances are common enough
where even this species is rejected. It is apparent that no one can
be a sure guide to others who is not himself a “regular fungus
eater,” and that no descriptions can be of value, or drawings of use,
unless they are taken with the greatest care from the objects
themselves. To the best of my ability, I have attempted this, and
wish to persuade others to test the rare gastronomic qualities of the
twenty-nine species figured. The number here described and drawn
is only a very small portion of the really valuable species, for I well
know that, as a beginner in the study, I made all sorts of mistakes;
but, with one exception, I seldom suffered much inconvenience, and
I even know instances where confessedly poisonous species have
been eaten without ill effect. A little prudence, too often neglected,
should be observed in the consumption of fungi: for instance, only
young, fresh, and sound specimens should be gathered for the table
—for if stale, semi-putrid, and worm-eaten plants are chosen, they
are as likely to produce indigestion and inconvenience as meat in a
similar condition; they should be eaten in moderation, as a surfeit of
sweet mushrooms is as likely to disarrange one’s digestive organs as
a surfeit of pastry. If these precautions are attended to, and a
moderate amount of bread, salt, pepper, and common sense is used,
no accident need occur. Let the specimens be cooked as soon as
possible after gathering.
Although the following statement may be difficult to understand,
it is nevertheless a fact, that many men do not know what a
mushroom is at all, but will eat anything. I will give an instance: A
year or two ago, a man in the north of England cooked a large batch
of what he called mushrooms, for supper, and succeeded in
poisoning his wife and family to death, and himself nearly to death.
Some of the things he cooked were sent to me for identification, and
lo! he had gathered everything he could lay his hands upon; large
and small, sweet and foul—off horsedung, and rotten palings, and
from wherever he could find anything with a stalk and a top to it
after the manner of an umbrella. When he had buried his family and
recovered his own health, he carelessly walked into a well, and
either killed or much damaged himself—I forget which. I mention
this to show the sort of men they are who poison themselves with
mushrooms. They would poison themselves with anything else if
they had the opportunity; would get under a cart-wheel, or do any
absurd thing.
The twenty-nine species figured on the “Edible Sheet” are most
of them abundant, and instantly recognizable when seen, and every
one is a wholesome and delicious object of food, full of aroma and
flavour. I invite my readers to partake of the bountiful feast spread in
our rich pastures and shady woodlands all over the country for all
who care to partake.
“Mushrooms and Toadstools.”—These two words embrace the
whole of the knowledge possessed by the people at large regarding
the immense fungus tribe of this country. If we take the mushroom
type of fungus as an example, we have some seven hundred
species, all possessing a certain general similitude of form. This has
caused many to look upon fungi in common as equivocal
productions, difficult or impossible to distinguish as permanent
species; but when the study is once entered upon in earnest, the
student will soon perceive that the species, as a rule, are marked
with great distinctness and permanency, rendering the recognition of
most of them as certain as in any species of flowering plant.
When the study of the whole of the British Fungi is embraced, it
is true there are many difficulties in the way, for we find some plants
closely approaching the algæ and others the lichens; but when it is
only the larger fungi that it is proposed to discriminate, the task is
much easier, the number being limited to about twelve hundred
species. If the orders Agaricini and Polyporei (including more than
eight of the twelve hundred species) are taken as a rough type of
the larger fungi, it will be seen that these plants consist principally of
a stem and cap. Unlike the flowering plant, the mushroom has no
root; but, in place of it, the mycelium, or spawn, from which the
fungus springs. Under the top are certain gills or plates, tubes, pores
or spines, that bear the spores (or seeds). These spores are
distinguished from true seeds by having no embryo, a spore
consisting simply of a two-coated cell with no trace of an embryo.
These spores are microscopic objects of various forms, sizes, and
colours, the produce of one plant reaching, it is said, the enormous
number of ten millions; when they fall upon the earth, or any
suitable matrix, they germinate and form the spawn which
eventually produces an infant fungus, the exact counterpart of the
original producer of the spores.
We have but one species popularly recognized as esculent—viz.,
the common meadow mushroom (Agaricus campestris). A very near
ally of the “meadow mushroom,” and a most delicious species when
fresh,—viz., the so-called “horse mushroom” (Agaricus arvensis)—is
nearly always rejected by country-folks as dangerous. This large and
wholesome species is the one commonly sold in Covent Garden
Market as the true mushroom, where, if fresh specimens can be
procured, it is a welcome addition to the table. The fairy-ring
Champignon (certainly one of the most exquisitely delicious of all our
fungi) is generally neglected, or regarded with great suspicion.
Under the name of “champillion,” however, it is well known to the
weavers and labouring men of the east of London, who may be seen
gathering it in considerable numbers any autumn day amongst the
short grass of Victoria Park. The fragrant and luscious “Chantarelle,”
the “rare Morel,” and the sweet and tender giant puff-ball, are
almost universally kicked aside or altogether neglected. Amongst the
species supposed to be popular is Agaricus personatus, said to be
sold in Covent Garden Market. I have never seen it there, or heard
of its presence. In the West of England and some other places I
have heard these plants called “Blue-its” (Blewits), in reference to
the blue colour round the upper part of the stem. It is a most
substantial and delicious species, and should be better known; but I
imagine it is rather uncommon, as I have seldom gathered it;
although till quite lately it grew near Highbury Barn. The St.
George’s mushroom, springing up on our lawns and pastures in
spring (Agaricus gambosus), is little known, and very seldom eaten.
Closely allied to the A. personatus, it is, if possible, more delicious,
and may be easily dried for winter use. The semi-popular scaly
mushroom, Agaricus procerus (except to fungologists), is known to
very few, but its esculent properties are of a very high order, and it
has the merit of being common. It is said to be sometimes sold in
Covent Garden Market, but I have never seen it there, neither do I
know anyone who has. With the truffle, the list must close of such
fungi as are now and then eaten on exceptional occasions, or may
be imperfectly known to a few who have not studied the subject.
This species appears in our markets in limited quantities (there being
very little demand for it), and realizes from 2s. 6d. to 5s. per pound.
The statement that they fetch from 15s. to 20s. per pound in the
London markets is, I believe, incorrect. It must also be remembered
that our English truffles do not belong to the same species as the
delicious truffles sold in the French markets.
There is no other way of distinguishing a poisonous from an
edible fungus than by finding out its name; there is no magic way of
saving the trouble of learning, by the insertion of a silver spoon in a
stew. If, on tasting a fungus, it burns the tongue like the contact of
scalding water (as several species do), the probability is that it is not
edible; but if, on the contrary, a species exhales a delicious and
inviting fragrance resembling fruit, spice, or new flour, it is probably
worth a trial, and, even if not figured on the “Edible Sheet,” may be
cautiously tried for the table if so desired.
An important character to be observed in fungi is the presence of
a volva, or matrix, at the base of the stem (present in figs. 7 and 8,
absent in figs. 11 and 12, Poisonous Sheet), and in the annulus, or
ring, round the stem towards the top (present in figs. 1 and 7,
absent in figs. 14 and 15, Poisonous Sheet). In the determination of
species a great deal depends, too, upon the colour of the spores, or
seeds. These are readily obtained by removing the stalk of the
species to be examined, and placing the top gills lowermost on a
piece of glass. In a few hours the spores will be deposited in a thick
dust, and will vary (according to the species) from pure white to
pink, yellow, red, brown, purple, or jet black. The gills often take
their colours from the spores. It is a very great mistake to imagine
that the “Sudden Mushroom” grows in a single night. The growth of
mushrooms takes a considerable time—often many weeks. The
young fungi exist just beneath or upon the surface of the earth in a
compressed and narrowed compass. It is during this period that all
the cells are formed, and the mushroom itself fashioned; but, being
in a squeezed and concentrated form, it is commonly overlooked. On
the advent of a wet or humid night, the cells forming the fungus are
expanded and stretched out, and the mushroom is consequently
thrust considerably above the surface of the pasture; but, although it
is much larger in size, it is no heavier, neither has the substance
itself considerably increased. Mushrooms can be artificially
propagated from the seeds or spores, but not, generally, during the
first season of setting. I have frequently grown the fragile and
deliquescent species common on manure from the seeds; but, even
when the spawn is once formed, it is often many weeks before the
little heads are developed into the true figure of the parents, even in
the inky, fugitive and deliquescent species. Coprinus atramentarius
can be readily grown from spores; if planted about rotten wood in
the autumn, the fungi will appear in the late spring, and give two
crops a year till the soil is exhausted. I have exhibited a cultivated
variety of this species at the meetings of the Royal Horticultural
Society.
I have not thought it necessary to repeat long descriptions of
how the various species may, or may not, be cooked; it has been
done to a great extent before. It is apparent that the addition of
“good beef gravy,” “a few slices of fowl,” “rich veal stuffing,” and
various other savoury condiments, must occasionally give an extra
zest to a dish of mushrooms; but broiled, stewed, or pickled, most
species are “always good alike”; indeed, mushrooms, in their whole
composition, resemble meat in so remarkable a manner, that any
methods of cookery in vogue for delicate preparations of meat, apply
with equal force to mushrooms. Mrs. Hussey and Mr. Cooke each
give a large number of récipés for preparing these vegetables for the
table; and to any reader who may wish to go deeper into the
culinary branch of fungology, I must refer them to these authors. I
must confess that I consider no preparation of mushrooms can
exceed the delicious, inviting, and grateful flavour possessed by
mushrooms when simply fried with butter, salt, and pepper.
The various species suitable for storing up for future use—such
as the Morel, Champignon, &c.—may be readily dried in a current of
air, in a sunny window, or in a cool oven, and then kept in tins, or
threaded on strings and kept in a very dry place. Occasionally this
process goes a step further, and the mushrooms (of any species) are
dried to such an extent as to be readily pulverized; the dust is then
known and sold as “mushroom powder.” Housewives will now and
then pickle mushrooms, by throwing them into scalding vinegar,
allowing them to boil for ten minutes or so, and then, by adding
cayenne, mace, nutmeg, or spices, adapt them to their various
tastes.
The liquor extracted from the various edible mushrooms, under
the name of “ketchup,” is used in every kitchen, and the mode of
preparation is probably known to all. It simply consists of placing the
freshly-gathered plants in earthen jars with layers of salt; after a few
hours the ketchup exudes in abundance from the fungi; and the
process is ultimately completed by mashing the remains of the
mushrooms with the hands. It should then be strained and boiled
with spice and pepper, or strained and bottled, and the corked and
scaled bottles placed for several hours in boiling water. The ketchup
should then be kept in a cool and very dry place.
Nearly every species figured on the Edible Sheet will produce
ketchup of good quality, if treated with salt in an earthen jar. The
Champignon and Horse Mushroom may be specially referred to as
producing this condiment of an excellent quality.
The juice exuded from the truffle in boiling is highly relished by
many, as is the deep blood-red juice that runs from the “liver
fungus” when cut. This, when seasoned with salt and pepper, and
boiled, has a very delicious and stimulating flavour.
Since these notes and the following descriptions were written, my
friend Mr. F. C. Penrose, architect, has sent me a list of twenty-eight
species he has eaten, most of which are figured on the “Edible
Sheet”; the other species mentioned by him and not figured on the
sheet are referred to in the descriptions.
The nomenclature of the species is the same with that given by
the Rev. M. J. Berkeley in his “Outlines of British Fungology”; the
numbers inserted after the scientific name refer to my large
drawings in the Food Department of the Bethnal Green Museum,
where, if the student so desires, he may see dissections of the
species.
 EDIBLE MUSHROOMS.

Red-fleshed Mushroom. Fig. 1.

(Agaricus [Amanita] rubescens.) 7.
This species is generally abundant in all woody places, making its
first appearance in early summer and continuing till late in the
autumn. It is known by its brown warty top, its white gills, and
perfect ring encircling the bulbous stem. It frequently attains a large
size, and its whole substance, when touched, bruised, or broken,
becomes sienna-red. This species is one of the most beautiful as
well as valuable of all the British Agarics. If care be taken to select
young and fresh specimens only, when prepared for the table, it will
prove a very light and delicate addition to any meal. Mr. Berkeley
does not subscribe to the excellence of this species; but as far as my
own experience and that of many friends go, I well know it to be
delicious and perfectly wholesome. Mr. Penrose writes me: “Old
specimens are very indigestible.” This I imagine contains the whole
secret of its questionable name amongst some who have (or have
not) tried it.
 Edible Tube-Mushroom. Fig. 2.
(Boletus edulis.) 610.
Frequently attaining enormous dimensions, and first appearing
during the summer or early autumn rains, this fungus is one of our
commonest and most delicious species. Like the last, it grows in
woods and forests, and may be at once known by the following
characters: it is generally very stout, with a smooth, umber, cushion-
shaped top, tubes at first white and ultimately pale yellowish-green;
stem whitish-brown, marked with a minute white and very elegant
reticulated network, principally near the top of the ringless stem;
when cut or broken, the fleshy body of the plant continues pure
white. In this, as in every other species, sound young specimens
should be selected, and it is perhaps as well to scrape away the
tubes before preparation for the table. Whether boiled, stewed with
salt, pepper, and butter, fried, or roasted with onions and butter, this
species proves itself one of the most delicious and tender objects of
food ever submitted to the operation of cooking. It is not the plant
referred to by the ancient Roman satiric poets; but at Rome (in the
present day) this species, in company with peaches and Agaricus
cæsareus, is sold at every street corner, our common meadow
mushroom, though abundant enough there, being disregarded.
B. scaber (615) is sometimes eaten. From personal experience,
Mr. Penrose says: “Young specimens are good—old, very flat.”
B. æstivalis (612) is of rare excellence; it appears in the early
summer, sometimes in abundance, at Highgate.
Before I properly knew B. edulis, I ate all sorts of Boleti in
mistake for it, notably B. chrysenteron.
 Variable Mushroom. Fig. 3.
(Russula heterophylla.) 522.
This is a very common species in woods, known by its sweet
nutty taste; white, rigid, sometimes branched, gills; white flesh;
white, solid, fleshy, ringless stem; and firm top, variable in colour,
which is at first convex, at last concave. The colour of the thin viscid
skin covering the top of the fungus is commonly subdued green, but
(as its name indicates) the colour is variable: at one time it
approaches greenish-yellow, or lilac, and at another grey or obscure
purple; but it is so common and well marked that, with the
assistance of the figure, there is no fear of mistaking it for anything
else. There is a stouter, more rigid plant, with forked gills and a
bitter taste (R. furcata), that had better be avoided. A third green
Russula (R. virescens), immediately known by its rigid substance, its
top broken up into large rough emerald-green patches, and with no
viscid skin, is an excellent addition to the table.
Russula heterophylla is highly esteemed by many, and is certainly
one of the sweetest and mildest species we have. It is excellent
stewed in an oven, with salt, pepper, and butter, between two
dishes.
 Candle Clavaria. Fig. 4.
(Clavaria vermiculata.) 843.
This species is frequently very common in pastures and
meadows, on lawns and by roadsides, in the wet weather of
autumn. It grows in bundles; is brittle; the clubs are pointed and
very white. If a few bundles be gathered, cleaned, and stewed or
broiled, they will form a novel and tasty adjunct to any dish, and
when once tried will be eagerly sought for in future. Coloured
Clavarias had better remain where found growing, as their
gastronomic qualities are doubtful.
 Meadow Mushroom. Fig. 5.
(Agaricus [Psalliota] campestris.) 316.
A large volume might be written about this species, the only one
popularly recognized in this country as edible. It is common in rich
meadows everywhere, perhaps all over the world, and varies in a
remarkable manner, by imperceptible gradations approaching and
blending with the horse mushroom, fig. 9: its varieties are
distinguished by five or six different names, but the characters run
into each other so much, and are frequently so slight and transient,
that they are often difficult to appreciate. One form is found growing
in woods (A. silvicola). I have often gathered it in the Highgate
woods, but from its suspicious aspect would not advise its general
use; though I have frequently eaten it with no ill effect. There is
another most beautiful variety I have frequently gathered in the
meadows on the south side of Lord Mansfield’s woods at Hampstead
(A. pratensis), with a very hairy top, the hairs grouped in patches
like ermine. When broken, the flesh changes to a pale but vivid rose-
colour. If possible, this form exceeds in excellence and piquancy of
flavour the common form of our pastures. Several very distinct
varieties are cultivated in beds and stoves, which occasionally appear
in our markets; but none exceed our delicious indigenous meadow
mushroom, as found in the autumn in rich pastures.
Bonâ fide mushrooms are known by their beautiful pink gills (in
which state they are best fit for use), ultimately becoming deep
brown, and not reaching the stem, which stem carries a well-marked
white woolly ring; by the very fleshy down-covered top, the delicious
and enticing fragrance and the firm white flesh, sometimes inclined
to pink when cut or broken: the plant is so well known and so highly
esteemed in this country that it is hardly necessary to say a word in
its favour, or repeat methods of preparing it for the table. Butter,
spice, parsley, sweet herbs, salt, pepper, and sometimes the squeeze
of a lemon, appear to be in the greatest request; but whether
boiled, pickled, stewed, fried, or prepared in any other way, it is
equally delicious in all. It seldom appears in Covent Garden Market;
the dealers there are content to find a sale, at a high price, for stale
horse mushrooms. Much has been written at various times regarding
the apocryphal “inspector of the Roman markets,” who consigns
mushrooms to the Tiber, but the facts have been much exaggerated.
Agaricus campestris is not generally appreciated in Italy, is seldom
eaten, and never appears in the markets, for the simple reason that
there would be no sale for it. There is an edict in existence ordering
certain fungi to be thrown into the Tiber, but it is now, and has long
been, altogether effete; and whilst there is an abundance of A.
cæsareus (by some said to be the most delicious of all fungi) for the
markets of Italy, it is not to be expected that the consumption of this
latter plant will be given up for another and less-known species. It is
probable that Agaricus cæsareus may one day be found in the
southern parts of this country; if so, it will be known by its smooth
wartless crimson top, its yellow gills, and stout white stem springing
from a large wrapper at the base (like fig. 7, Poisonous Sheet).
The ketchup made from the meadow mushroom is, not without
reason, looked upon as the best, although it may be obtained from
many other species. I have seen persons gathering fungi for ketchup
(to be sold in the markets), putting almost anything into their
baskets so long as the species appeared likely to yield a black juice.
I have known cows to be very fond of mushrooms; and a friend
of mine in the country (who has more than once seen his cows, in
the morning, go from mushroom to mushroom till all are consumed)
goes regularly over his pastures every morning in the autumn,
before the cattle are turned in, to secure the first gathering of the
fungus crop. Sheep, squirrels, birds, and many other animals
commonly eat raw mushrooms and other fungi.
 Yellow-gilled Mushroom. Fig. 6.
(Russula alutacea.) 536.
This is one of the principal ornaments of our woods in summer
and autumn, and is readily recognized by its thick gills, which are of
a subdued but decided buff-yellow colour, and the somewhat viscid
red, or pale crimson top. The stem is stout, white or rose-colour,
ringless, and solid; the whole plant fleshy, and frequently very large.
The gills immediately distinguish it from the emetic mushroom (fig.
21, Poisonous Sheet), as in the latter they are pure white, and
always remain so; there are, too, other great differences between
the two species noted in the description of the emetic mushroom.
The taste of Russula alutacea is particularly agreeable and mild,
and, when well prepared for the table, few species prove more
satisfactory to the consumer. Dr. Badham (by an error) takes some
exception to it.
 Furrowed Clavaria. Fig. 7.
(Clavaria rugosa.) 827.
This species, common in woody places, is usually pure white,
pale grey, or shaded with cream-colour; the clubs are irregular,
somewhat wrinkled and tough. Treated in the same way as C.
vermiculata, it will prove equally acceptable, agreeable, and novel.
All the white-spored species are believed to be esculent.
I have not tried C. coralloides, an allied species, which is greatly
branched, but it is esteemed as an esculent.
 Chantarelle. Fig. 8.
(Cantharellus cibarius.) 539.
The chantarelle cannot be called very common, but it is abundant
in many districts; its solid, ringless stem, fleshy body, thick swollen
veins in the place of gills, and brilliant yellow colour, at once serve to
distinguish it from every other species. “Its smell,” says Berkeley, “is
like that of ripe apricots.” Sometimes (as I have frequently seen in
Epping Forest and elsewhere) immense numbers grow together; at
other times they are very few. Chantarelles often cover a hedge-
bank where there are trees close by; and wherever they do appear
they must enlist the admiration of the passer-by, for they look as if
made of solid gold. When cooked, this species has a rich mushroom-
like flavour peculiarly its own, and may be prepared for the table in
various ways, according to the fancy of the consumer: but being big
and solid, it should be cut up; and, if stewed, allowed to simmer
gently, and be served with pepper, salt, and butter. There is a
curious, thin, pale, slender variety, found growing in pastures about
old stumps, which I have never eaten, and from its curious aspect,
habitat, and comparative rarity, I think it hardly worth the
experiment, but it may be esculent. There is a very pale, almost
white, variety of the chantarelle, and one quite without the apricot
odour.