22 



loam. By this method it is claimed that danger of " fire fang " will be 

 avoided, as the bricks will be kept at a perfectly uniform temperature of 

 about 60° or 66°, which causes the spawn to run quickly and uniformly. 

 In from four to sis weeks they are ready to take out and dry for use or 

 storage. 



The French or " Flake " spawn comes in light masses of loose, dry 

 litter. It is obtained in the following way : A bed is made up as if for 

 mushrooms in the ordinary way, and spawned with " virgin " spawn, and 

 Avheu the bed is thoroughly impregnated with spawn, it is broken up and 

 set aside to dry. This spawn is usually sold in small boxes, containing 

 from two to five pounds, but it also can be obtained in bulk when it is 

 purchased by weight. The French or " flake " spawn is much more ex- 

 pensive than the English or " brick " spawn. It is claimed by some very 

 successful growers, who have tried both, that the brick spawn produces 

 heavier and fleshier mushrooms than the French " flake.'' 



" Mill Track " Spawn. ' 



" Mill track " spawn was formerly considered the best in England, but 

 since horse power has given jjlace to steam power in the mills there is 

 now no further supply of mill track, and it is practically superseded by 

 the "brick" spawn. The real " mill track " is the natural spawn that 

 has spread through the thoroughly amalgamated horse drojjpings in mill 

 tracks, or the sweepings from mill tracks. 



Spawn Peoduged in a Manure Heap. 



During the past year I have made some experiments in the pine and 

 oak woods of Hynesboro' Park, Maryland, with relation to spawn culture, 

 an account of which may prove of interest to students in this line of in- 

 vestigation. Several loads of stable manure and oak-leaf bedding were 

 well mixed and formed into a mound about three feet in height, having a 

 diameter of six feet, and tapering to about four inches in depth at the 

 outer edge. The mass was quite moist and slightly tamped to give it 

 general consistency. It was exposed to the open air, without protection, 

 during the months of September, October, and November. In the mean- 

 time, frequent rains occurred. On examination it was found that the rains 

 did not penetrate to a depth of more than four inches. On opening up 

 the centre of the mound, it was observed that the portion thus exposed 

 consisted of highly decomposed leaves, and presented a white mass of 

 matted, " burned " mycelium. It was evident that the temperature at 

 that point had risen considerably above 100° Fahr. The mycelium was, 

 doubtless, produced in abundance before the temperature reached 100 

 Fahr. and became scorched as the temperature increased. On examining 

 the outer edges, where the depth was only twelve inches, I found an 

 abundance of mycelium which did not show any appearance of having 

 been scorched by undue temperature. Since no mycelium had been 

 added to the mound, it is evident that the spores which produced it must 

 have been present, although unobserved, and awaiting only the proper 

 conditions for development, i. e., for budding and the production of myce- 

 lium. At the end of the third month, groups of the common meadow 

 mushroom, Agaricus campestris, together with some fine examples of 

 Tricholoma terreum, an edible mushroom, common to these woods, ap- 

 peared on the edges of the mound. 





