No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 531 



washed in order to destroy any objectionable fungi that may be 

 about the place, and which might make trouble in the next crop. 



The growing of mushrooms has increased very much during the 

 last few years. Ten years ago there were perhaps not one-fourth as 

 many grown in this section as there are now, and then the price was 

 sometimes as low as 17 and 18 cents a pound. This shows there is 

 an increasing demand, and that people are finding out that mush- 

 rooms are good to eat. Chester and Delaware counties are import- 

 ant factors in the supply of mushrooms to the eastern cities and 

 are no doubt the greatest mushroom producing sections in this coun- 

 try. There are several growers who use as much as 500 tons of 

 manure annually and others who use more than this. It is esti- 

 mated that there is used in the aggregate as much as 10,000 tons 

 annually in these two counties. 



There are a great many mushrooms grown in England, many more 

 there than here. The French have made a specialty of growing 

 them in what are called ''The Caves" at Paris. These underground 

 caves or tunnels are abandoned quarries from which building stones 

 have been taken. They are from 40 to 125 feet under ground and 

 A^ary in height and width according to the size of the vein of stone 

 quarried. A few of them are entered horizontally, but most of 

 them are entered from a perpendicular shaft at the top. Work- 

 men ascend and descend by means of a ladder. The manure is pre- 

 pared above ground and when ready to be used, it is thrown down 

 the hole. The refuse is taken up by means of a windlass. 



Their methods are quite different from the English or American. 

 They make no beds like ours. The manure is made up in ridges. 

 There ridges are 18 inches wide at the bottom, 6 inches wide at the 

 top and about 18 inches high. Alleys a foot wide are left between 

 the ridges. They are spawned and earthened much the same as the 

 Americans do, only they use the flake spawTi. They are considered 

 expert growers and many of them are engaged extensively in the 

 business — some using as much as 3,000 tons of manure annually. 

 The mushrooms are sold at auction in Paris, but at a lower price 

 than in this country. For a few years there seemed to be a desire 

 here to imitate the French in their methods, but about all have 

 abandoned them. 



Thus far it would seem as if it was all smooth sailing for the 

 mushroom grower but such is not the case. In the early spring 

 maggots are likely to attack them, and they are liable to a disease 

 called black spot. They are also subject to slugs which eat holes 

 in them. Fogging off is a common trouble. It consists in the soft- 

 ening, shriveling and perishing of the young mushrooms, which 

 assume a brownish color. It is considered a root trouble and may 

 be produced by too much watering, a drip in the bed, disturbing the 

 mycelium when picking the mushrooms or any other cause that dis- 

 turbs the mycelium will cause the young mushrooms to fog off. 



There is a great deal of uncertainty connected with their produc- 

 tion. In fact, there seems to be no certainty. Beds spawn-ed the 

 same day with the same kind of spawn may give very different re- 

 sults. The beds may be alike in every particular and the grower will 

 not be able to tell why the one failed and the other was a success. 

 The learner is just about as likely to have a heavy crop as the vet- 

 eran of 20 years experience. An old barn cellar or house cellar, an 



