CULTIVATION OF MUSHROOMS. 271 



tent where the mushrooms are picked and thrown indiscriminately 

 into baskets. 



Packing the Mushrooms. In the packing room the mushrooms are 

 prepared for shipment to market. The method at present usually 

 employed is to ship them in baskets. The baskets vary in size, ac- 

 cording to the market to which the mushrooms are to be shipped. 

 They hold from three, to four, five, six, or ten pounds each. The 

 larger baskets are only used where the mushrooms are shipped 

 directly to the consumers. When the customer requires a large 

 number of mushrooms, they can be shipped in these larger baskets. 

 Where they are shipped to commission merchants, and the final 

 market is not known to the packer, they are usually packed in small 

 baskets, three to four or five pounds. The baskets are sometimes 

 lined with paper; that is, at the time of the packing the paper is 

 placed in the basket, one or two thicknesses of paper. The number 

 of layers of paper depends somewhat upon the conditions of trans- 

 portation. The greater amount of paper affords some protection 

 from cold, in cold weather, and some protection from the evapora- 

 tion of the moisture, in dry weather. When the basket is filled with 

 the required quantity of mushrooms, which is usually determined 

 first by weight, the surplus paper is folded over them. This is 

 covered in most cases by thin board strips, which are provided for 

 basket shipment of vegetables of this kind. In some cases, how- 

 ever, where shipped directly to customers so that the baskets soon 

 reach their destination, additional heavy paper, instead of the board, 

 may be placed over and around the larger part of the basket, and 

 then tied down neatly with cord. 



Placing the Mushrooms in the Basket. Some growers do not give 

 any attention to placing the mushrooms in the baskets. The stems 

 are cut off in the packing room, they are thrown into the weighing 

 pan, and when the beam tips at three, or four, or five pounds, as 

 the case may be, the mushrooms are emptied into the baskets, 

 leveled down, and the baskets closed for shipment. Others use 

 more care in the packing of the mushrooms; especially is this the 

 case on the part of those who pick the mushrooms when they are 

 somewhat larger and more open, though the practice of placing the 

 mushrooms in a basket is followed even by those who pick before 

 the mushrooms are open. In placing them, one mushroom is taken 

 at a time and put stem downward into the basket, until the bottom 

 is covered with one layer, and then successive layers are placed on 

 top of these. The upper layers in the basket then present a very 

 neat and attractive appearance. In thus placing the mushrooms in 



