Page:Foods and their adulteration; origin, manufacture, and composition of food products; description of common adulterations, food standards, and national food laws and regulations (IA foodstheiradulte02wile).pdf/481

 not poisonous. It is high time to eradicate these misleading notions and to let the people know with certainty that aside from the botanical character there does not exist any particular sign nor any particular means of affirming that a given mushroom is edible or poisonous. Science alone, therefore, has the sole power of teaching to distinguish the poisonous from the non-*poisonous varieties. For many years attempts have been made to popularize the science which will give to the people the desired information, but in spite of these efforts the number of cases of poisoning does not seem to diminish, and why? The response is evident. It is because the efforts which have been made by mycologists have not yet been appreciated by the mass of people, and because it has not yet been possible to point out to the public at large the poisonous species. The number of species of poisonous mushrooms which are capable of causing death is happily not very great. The Amanitas and the Volvarias are almost exclusively the poisonous species. Let it be understood, therefore, by the people that there do exist mushrooms which are capable of killing. If the people desire to place themselves out of danger let them begin by learning these varieties. Their number is very limited, as there are only five or six species at most. When they are well known it will be very easy to distinguish them and to recognize all others as edible. Following is a list of the most poisonous mushrooms known, and all that are likely at any time to produce death:

Amanita phalloides Fr. "    citrina Pers.  "     verna Bull. "    virosa Fr.

Volvaria gloiocephala, var. speciosa (Fr.).

Amanita muscaria (L.) Pers. "    pantherina DC.

Lactarius torminosus (Schaeff.) Fr. "     rufus Fr.   "      zonarius (Bull.) Fr. "     pyrogalus (Bull.) Fr.

Russula emetica Fr. "    queletii Fr.  "     fœtens (Pers.) Fr.

Boletus felleus Bull. "    satanus Lenz.  "     erythropus Cke. "    luridus Schaeff.

Entoloma lividum Bull.

The Most Poisonous of Mushrooms.—The most poisonous of the common