HoKThl I.TI RE. 



i 



removal of the lower half dozen or more leaves resulted in an Increased gain in size 

 of the frail of 21, 10, and 6 per cent, respectively. These results indicate thai the 

 beneficial influence of pruning off the lower leaves graduall} decreases with time. 

 Tin' results <>!' experiments in training to differehl numbers "i stems is summarized 

 in the table below: 



When the leaders were not cut back tin- smallest number of fruit per plant was 

 obtained on the plants trained to a single stem. These fruits were of good size and 

 the plants thus trained produced the earliest fruit of all the different methods of 

 training. The yield also on equal amounts of trellis space was the greatest by this 

 system <>f training. 



"The greatesl average weight of individual fruit, as well as the greatest weight per 

 plant, however, was given by the 3-8tem system where the leader was headed in, 

 whereas in the average number of fruit per plant this system is lowest. There was 

 only one experiment in which heading in was practiced. ... In general, how- 

 ever, tlnsc experiments show that if we wish to obtain large fruit with a tolerably 

 good number per plant the single leader constitutes one of the best systems, with the 

 2, :5, and 4-shoot systems following in tolerably uniform succession. No doubl the 

 largest fruit and the greatesl acceleration in maturity can be obtained by heading in 

 the leader. . . . 



"Undoubtedly the hot system of growing greenhouse tomatoes is to plant 12 to 

 16 in. apart in the rows, prune to the L-stem system, and head in or cut hark the 

 leaders above the fourth or sixth cluster of fruit, a- circumstances require." 



The principles of mushroom growing- and mushroom spawn making, 

 B. M. Duggah i V. S. Dept. Agr., />'"/-. Plant Indus. Bui. 85, pp. 60, pis. 7 ).— Theresults 

 are here given of a number of years' research work on the problems of mushroom 

 culture and spawn production. The more popular results of the work, including 

 efficient methods of spawn production, are reported in one of the farmer-' bulletins 

 of this Department | E. S. R., L6, p. 367). 



In the present bulletin the more technical phase- of the work are given, including 

 the results of -pore gennination, studies of different nutrient solution-, tissue cultures 

 of different specie- of mushrooms and media tor their growth, temperature and 

 moisture experiments, compost preparation, installing, spawning, and easing beds, 

 comparisons of different kind- of -pawn, experiments in mushroom culture, and tests 

 of the vitality of mushroom spawn. Detailed directions are given foi mushroom 

 spawn making on a commercial scale. An account i- also given of the cave facilities 

 in the United States and a discussion of the open-air culture of mushroom- The 

 principal species worked with was Agaricu8 campestris. 



Further work by the author has continued the result- of >Ii-s Ferguson I S. R., 

 14, p. 121) relative to the value of small portions of mycelium of the mushroom 

 fungus in stimulating spore germination. The tissue-culture method of -pawn pro- 

 duction has been satisfactory for at least 40 species of mushrooms gro^ n. The addi- 

 tion of nutrient salts to sterilized media in tissue culture- was not found useful. Acid 

 media does not give satisfactory results. 



