[Illustration: Agaricus Procerus.]
[Sidenote: =Hygrometric properties=]
This species is especially free from the swarming grubs too commonly
found in mushrooms. It is highly hygrometric, dries naturally even
while standing in the pasture, in which condition it is decidedly
aromatic in fragrance and nutty sweet to the taste, as described.
Indeed, it is sometimes called "the nut mushroom." Absorbing moisture
from the dews and rains, it again becomes pulpy and enlarged, thus
alternating for days between its juicy and dry condition, in which
latter state it may be gathered and kept for winter use. It is a
palatable morsel at all times, but especially in the prime of its
first expansion, each successive alternation, with its gradual loss of
spores, affecting its full flavor.