remembered that where there is a will there is a way.

In 1897 I moved to Bowling Green, Ohio; there I found many species which I had found about Salem, Ohio, but the extremely rich soil, heavy timber and numerous old lake beaches seemed to furnish a larger variety, so that I added many more to my list. After remaining three years in Bowling Green, making delightful acquaintance with the good people of that city as well as with the flowers and mushrooms of Wood county, Providence placed me in Sidney, Ohio, where I found many new species of fungi and renewed my acquaintance with many of those formerly met.

Since coming to Chillicothe I have tried to have the plants photographed as I have found them, but having to depend upon a photographer I could not always do this. I have not found in this vicinity many that I have found elsewhere in the state, although I have found many new things here, a fact which I attribute to the hilly nature of the county. For prints of many varieties of fungi obtained before coming here, I am indebted to my friends. I should advise any one intending to make a study of this subject to have all specimens photographed as soon as they are identified, thus fixing the species for future reference.

It seems to me that every school teacher should know something of mycology. Some of my teachers have during the past year made quite a study of this interesting subject, and I have found that their pupils kept them busy in identifying their finds. Their lists of genera and species, as exhibited on the blackboards at the close of the season were quite long. I found from my Bohemian boys and girls that their teachers in their native country had opened for them the door to this very useful knowledge. Observation has proven to me conclusively that there is a large and increasing interest in this subject throughout the greater part of Ohio.

Every professional man needs a hobby which he may mount in his hours of relaxation, and I am quite sure there is no field that offers better inducement for a canter than the subject of botany, and especially this particular department of botanical work.

I have a friend, a professional man who has an eye and a heart for all the beauties of nature. After hours of confinement in his office at close and critical work he is always anxious for a ramble over the hillsides and through the woods, and when we find anything new he seems to enjoy it beyond measure.

Many ministers of the gospel have become famous in the mycological world. The names of Rev. Lewis Schweiwitz, of Bethlehem, Pa.; Rev. M. J. Berkeley and Rev. John Stevenson, of England, will live as long as botany is known to mankind. Their influence for good and helpfulness to their fellowmen will be everlasting.

With such an inspiration, how quickly one is lost to all business cares, and how free and life-giving are the fields, the meadows and the woods, so that one must exclaim with Prof. Henry Willey in his "Introduction to the Study of the Lichen":

MUSHROOMS AND TOADSTOOLS

HOW TO TELL MUSHROOMS FROM TOADSTOOLS. In all probability no student of mycology has any one query more frequently or persistently pressed upon his attention than the question, "How do you tell a toadstool from a mushroom?"—or if in the woods or fields, in search for new species, with an uninitiated comrade, he has frequently to decide whether a certain specimen "is a mushroom or a toadstool," so firmly fixed is the idea that one class of fungi—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 arise within twenty-four hours, another bit may be chewed, this time swallowing a small portion of the juice. Should no irritation be experienced after another period of waiting, a still larger piece may be tried. I always sample a new plant carefully, and thus am often able to establish the fact of its edibility before being able to locate it in its proper species. This fall I found for the first time Tricholoma columbetta; it was some time after I had proven it an edible mushroom before I had settled upon its name. A better way, perhaps, is to cook them and feed them to your cat and watch the result.

Another way is to have a friend who knows the plants go with you, and thus you learn under a teacher as a pupil learns in school. This is the quickest way to gain a knowledge of plants of any kind, but it is difficult to find a competent teacher.

Still another way, and one that is open to all, is to gain a knowledge of a few species and through their description become familiar with the terms used in describing a mushroom; this done, the way is open, if you have a book containing illustrations and descriptions of the most common plants. Do not be in a hurry to get the names of all the plants, and do