the toadstools--are poisonous, and the
other--the mushrooms--are edible and altogether desirable; and these
inquiring minds frequently seem really disappointed at being told that
they are one and the same thing; that there are edible toadstools and
mushrooms, and poisonous mushrooms and toadstools; that in short a
toadstool is really a mushroom and a mushroom is only a toadstool after
all.

Hence the questions with the beginner is, how he may tell a poisonous
fungus from an edible one. There is but one answer to this question, and
that is that he must thoroughly learn both genera and species, studying
each till he knows its special features as he does those of his most
familiar friends.

Certain species have been tested by a number of people and found to be
perfectly safe and savory; on the other hand, there are species under
various genera which, if not actually poisonous, are at least
deleterious.

It is the province of all books on fungi to assist the student in
separating the plants into genera and species; in this work special
attention has been given to distinguishing between the edible and the
poisonous species. There are a few species such as Gyromitra esculenta,
Lepiota Morgani, Clitocybe illudens, etc., which when eaten by certain
persons will cause sickness soon after eating, while others will escape
any disagreeable effects. Chemically speaking, they are not poisonous,
but simply refuse to be assimilated in some stomachs. It is best to
avoid all such.

=HOW MUSHROOMS GROW.= There is a strong notion that mushrooms grow very
quickly, springing up in a single night. This is erroneous. It is true
that after they have reached the button stage they develop very quickly;
or in the case of those that spring from a mature egg, develop so
rapidly that you can plainly see the motion of the upward growth, but
the development of the button from the mycelium or spawn takes
time--weeks, months, and even years. It would be very difficult to tell
the age of many of our tree fungi.

=HOW TO LEARN MUSHROOMS.= If the beginner will avoid all Amanitas and
perhaps some of the Boleti he need not be much worried in regard to the
safety of other species.

There are three ways by which he can become familiar with the edible
kinds. The first is the physiological test suggested by Mr. Gibson in
his book. It consists in chewing a small morsel and then spitting it out
without swallowing the juice; if no important symptoms aris