Among the Mushrooms: A Guide For Beginners

“ Have you not seen in the woods on a late autumn morning a poor fungus or mushroom—a plant without any solidity, nay, that seemed nothing but a soft mush or jelly—by its constant total and inconceivably gentle pushing, manage to break its way up through the frosty ground, and actually to lift a hard crust on its head? It is the symbol of the power of kindness. ”
Emerson.
The books which have been consulted in the preparation of this work are, “British Fungi,” by Rev. John Stevenson; “British Fungus-Flora,” by George Massee; “Mushrooms and their Uses,” and “Boleti of the United States,” by Professor Charles H. Peck, State Botanist of New York; “Moulds, Mildew and Mushrooms,” by Professor L. M. Underwood; and a pamphlet by Mr. C. G. Lloyd, entitled “The Volvæ of the United States.”
No attempt has been made to do more than to put in popular language the statements of experienced botanists, and so to arrange the matter as to aid beginners in their work.
Thanks are due to Mr. Harold Wingate for his suggestions and corrections of the manuscript; to Mr. C. G. Lloyd for permission to print from his photographs; to Miss Laura C. Detwiller for her paintings from nature, which have been here reproduced; and also to Mrs. Harrison Streeter and Miss Mary W. Nichols for their encouragement of the undertaking and suggestions in furtherance of its success.
Transcriber’s Note: The structure of the Table of Contents does not correspond perfectly to the book itself, but all page numbers are correct.

This book is intended for those who, though ignorant on the subject, desire to know something about mushrooms. The first question which such an one asks upon finding a mushroom is, “What is its name?” If there is no one near to tell him, then follows the second inquiry, “How can I find it out for myself?” If wild flowers were concerned, Gray’s little book, “How the Plants Grow,” could be used; and there is also Mrs. Dana’s book on “The Wild Flowers,” that has given so much pleasure. In the case of mushrooms, however, but one answer can be returned to all questions: “There is no American text-book on mushrooms, there is no manual for beginners.”