MUSHROOM GROWING 



years subsequent to 1901 I undertook to 

 investigate the reliability of the mushroom 

 spawn (English ''brick" and French 

 "flake") sold at that time by American seed 

 dealers. Indications had pointed strongly 

 to poor spawn as a cause of many of the 

 failures commonly experienced by amateurs. 

 From 1901 to 1904 samples of commercial 

 spawn were purchased in various cities and 

 subsequently tested at Columbia, Mo. (as 

 reported, in part, in Bulletin 85, Bureau of 

 Plant Industry). These samples were 

 either tested in regular mushroom beds, or 

 they were placed under conditions favorable 

 for determining if growth would start. In 

 an unexpectedly large majority of cases, the 

 spawn proved to be dead. The conclusion 

 drawn was that for American growers the 

 most important consideration was a source 

 of reliable spawn. Moreover, through ob- 

 servations in England and France I was con- 

 vinced that growers in those countries ex- 

 perienced no such difficulties with poor 

 spawn as the American growers had suf- 



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