CHAPTER VIII 



Mushroom Spawn-making 



In an earlier section of this book (pages 

 13-16) I have drawn attention to the na- 

 ture of mushroom ^'spawn." It was also in- 

 dicated that spores cannot be used directly 

 in propagation and that spawn of com- 

 merce is the only ''seed" material practically 

 employed in growing these fungi. Pure 

 cultures are effective, but too expensive for 

 practical purposes. "Brick" spawn (Plate 

 IV\ d) is commonly used in England and 

 the United States, and very few growers 

 find it advisable to make their own; while 

 in France ''flake" spawn has a monopoly of 

 the market, and most of the large growers 

 prepare, by means of a "starter" of "virgin" 

 spawn, all of the material they use. 



Foreign spawn. For a period of several 



87 



