10 MUSHROOM GROWING AND SPAWN MAKING. 



It is not possible at this time to give more than a few brief sugges- 

 tions concerning the possibility of cultivating other edible species 

 than Agarieus campestris. The determination of the fundamental 

 needs of diverse species will require study during a term of years. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



The propagation of Agarieus campestris does not seem to have been 

 undertaken to any extent by the ancient Greeks or Romans. The 

 occasional references to mushrooms in the classics are very general, 

 as a rule, and do not suggest that artificial propagation was attempted. 

 In the vicinity of Paris Agarieus earnpestris has been cultivated for 

 several centuries, and the plants have certainly been sold on the open 

 market quite as long." It has not been possible to ascertain whether 

 the methods now in vogue are essentially the same as those employed 

 a few centuries ago. It is very probable, however, that the methods 

 have been gradually improved. It would appear that the cultivation 

 in caves is comparatively recent. The earliest records obtainable 

 concerning the cultivation of mushrooms in the underground quarries 

 indicate that this practice was not common previous to the nineteenth 

 century. 



Mushrooms are to-day extensively grown in England and France, 

 and to a limited extent in Belgium, in Germany, and in many other 

 countries. Paris remains, however, the center of commercial pro- 

 duction. In the vicinity of that city the culture of mushrooms is now 

 almost entirely confined to the undergTouncl limestone quarries or 

 cement mines. The caves used for this purpose are termed " carrieres '' 

 or " champignonieres." These caves may consist of a labyrinth of gal- 

 leries, or halls, ranging from 5 to 50 feet in width and from 5 to 30 

 feet in height. In some regions the earth is practically honey- 

 combed by them, and the extent of the cave space used by the larger 

 growers may be measured by miles. For the most part the ventila- 

 ting system is j^erfect, every cave system j)ossessing numerous air 

 shafts, protected at the surface by wooden towers. Artificial parti- 

 tions in the caves themselves enable the operator to control the venti- 

 lation. Until recent times the cultural methods have been more or 

 less sacredly guarded by the growers, and even to-day it is not easy 

 to get permission to make a casual visit to the champignonieres. In 

 many cases the work has been followed from generation to generation 

 within the same family. There are at present, however, large corpo- 

 rations in control of some of the most famous caves. 



a In a painting of the early seventeenth century (that of a Fishmonger's and 

 Poulterer's Shop, by Jordaeus and Van Utrecht, in the Gallery of Old Pictures. 

 Brussels) Agarieus campestris and Boletus are shown on sale as a conspicuous 

 part of a market scene. 



