SPAWN-MAKING 



Spawn without an opportunity of adequately 

 testing its productiveness, and often without 

 even knowing the appearance of the form 

 secured. The spawn thus obtained was 

 known as ^Virgin" spawn and presumably 

 it came from the accidental germination of 

 spores. As mushroom growing developed, 

 the demand for virgin spawn increased to 

 such extent, that the location and sale of this 

 product became almost a special industry. 

 In England "mill-track" virgin spawn was 

 at one time much sought, this being orig- 

 inally the spawn found in the well-trodden 

 soil and manure of the horse path, or course, 

 of the animal-driven mill; later it became 

 merely a trade name. 



The maker of spawn or grower of mush- 

 rooms whose source of spawn was the pas- 

 ture proceeded in the following manner: 

 Finding a natural occurrence of mushrooms 

 — or assuming their occurrence — in a fa- 

 vorable locality, the sod was removed, small 

 trenches were prepared and filled with a 

 good quality of stable manure, and the sod 



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