The popular and widespread interest in mushrooms of all kinds is almost phenomenal. This is due to their beauty of form and color and the supposed mystery surrounding their origin and growth, as well as to the use of certain kinds for food. Their nutritive value is not great, being about equal to that of cabbage, but they afford variety in ?avor and add greatly to the relish for other foods. Mushroom eating is much more common in Europe than in this country. The struggle for existence is greater there, and the edible and poisonous varieties are better known by all classes of people. In China, it is almost impossible for a botanist to get specimens on account of the thorough manner in which all wild food is collected by the natives.