412 



HORTI CU LTU RE: 



March 25, 1911 



MUSHROOMS. 



(A paper read before the Newport Horti- 

 cultural Society, liy William Grey.) 



The cultivation of mushrooms has 

 reached a higher state of develop- 

 ment in France than in any other 

 country, it being stated that more 

 than 10,000,000 lbs. pass through the 

 central market of Paris annually. Xt 

 is only within the past few years that 

 the growing of mushrooms has 

 reached much importance in this 

 country, the growing of them having 

 been confined to gardeners of French 

 and English training on a small scale. 

 Of late years, however, quite an in- 

 terest has been taken and the growing 

 of them has been undertaken on a 

 large scale in different parts of the 

 country. Although they are con- 

 sidered by many to be a very uncer- 

 tain crop to handle, with a suitable 

 place to grow them in, properly pre- 

 pared compost, and good spawn, suc- 

 cess should be almost certain. The 

 grower who is in the business on a 

 large scale must be reasonably sure 

 of success as a failure would be very 

 costly. 



Preparing the Bed. 



Mushrooms can be grown in any 

 place where an even temperature and 

 a moist condition of the atmosphere 

 can be maintained. The temperature 

 may range between 50 degrees and 60 

 degrees but mushrooms grown in a 

 temperature of 50 to 55 degrees will 

 be of much better quality and the 

 beds will produce over a longer 

 period. The atmosphere should be 

 kept in a moist condition but should 

 not be stagnant. Some means of 

 ventilation should be applied so that 

 there may be a gradual change of air, 

 and, if found necessary the moist con- 

 dition can be kept up by spraying 

 walls, etc. 



In the preparation of the compost, 

 fresh horse manure in sufficient quan- 

 tity to make the size of bed desired is 

 procured and placed in a pile to heat. 

 When it shows signs of heating it 

 should be turned daily until the heavy 

 heat has subsided. Care should be 

 taken that it does not become too dry 

 in turning as it should be in a moist 

 condition when ready to make up into 

 beds. A light sprinkling when turn- 

 ing may be found necessary to keep it 

 in the right state. 



Spawning. 



When the compost has been pre- 

 pared as above it is ready to make 

 into beds. The beds need not be more 

 than 10 inches in depth, the compost 

 being put in layer by layer and 

 thoroughly firmed. After being made 

 up the beds will heat to 110 degrees 

 or over but spawning should not take 

 place until the temperature drops to 

 90 degrees or less. Some authorities 

 say that 90 degrees is too high a tem- 

 perature to spawn and would prove 

 fatal to the spawn. This would prob- 

 ably be the case if the spawn was 

 planted as deep as the thermometer 

 is placed as it is the general practice 

 to thrust the thermometer into the 

 heart of the bed or at least six inches 

 deep. Although the temperature at 

 this depth may be 90 degrees it will 

 be found that it is considerable less 

 nearer the surface or at a depth of 

 three inches which is as deep as the 

 spawn should be planted. It may 

 therefore be considered safe to spawn 

 when the temperature in the heart of 



the bed has receded to 90 degrees. In 

 spawning, the bricks are broken up 

 into pieces about 2 inches square and 

 planted about 3 inches deep and 9 

 inches apart each way. After spawn- 

 ing the bed should be thoroughly 

 firmed and a week or so after a layer 

 of loam an inch in depth placed over 

 the bed. If the conditions have been 

 favorable mushrooms will begin to ap- 

 pear in from four to six weeks and a 

 bed should remain in bearing eight 

 weeks or longer. When watering be- 

 comes necessary it should be done by 

 frequent light sprayings of the beds, 

 a heavy watering being injurious to 

 mushrooms in the young stage. 



Good spawn is essential to success 

 and the grower should be able to 

 know whether the spawn is good or 

 not before planting. In good spawh 

 the mycelium should be well run 

 through the brick and of a cloudy or 

 mouldy-like appearance. When it 

 shows in a white-threaded state of de- 

 velopment it is practically worthless. 

 This condition may have been caused 

 bv having been left too long in the 

 spawn bed or by being improperly 

 stored in a place where the conditions 

 caused the spawn to develop. Spawn 

 can be kept for a long time if kept in 

 a cool dry place. 



Through the result of experiments 

 made by Dr. B. M. Duggar, Prof, of 

 Botany in the University of Missouri, 

 there is now on the market what is 

 called the American Pure Culture 

 Spawn. This spawn is undoubtedly 

 superior in vigor to the spawn usually 

 imported, and it has also been found 

 that the different types or varieties 

 of Agaricus campestris can be separ- 

 ated by this method, the spawn being 

 sold in three varieties under the 

 names of Alaska or white, Bohemia or 

 brown, and cream white or Columbia. 

 In producing this spawn, cultures are 

 taken from the tissues of the mush- 

 room to inoculate the bricks instead 

 of using spawn from other bricks or 

 beds or spawn gathered in a wild 

 state in the fields, so-called "virgin 

 spawn." 



Obituary* 



George Lorenz. 



George Lorenz of Astoria, Long 

 Island City, N. Y., died on Saturday^ 

 morning, March 18. He had a stroke 

 of apoplexy about three years agoT 

 and a second one last September, 

 which together with Bright's Disease 

 caused his death after much suffering. 

 His age was 71 years. 



Mr. Lorenz came to this country 

 from Bavaria when a youth of 17. He 

 worked as gardener for Mr. Rogers at 

 Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and then for the 

 elder Bridgman as foreman of the 

 greenhouses at Astoria. This place 

 he, in company with Mr. Wiegand, 

 bought out and for many years con- 

 tinued it as Wiegand & Lorenz. On 

 the death of Wiegand, Mr. Lorenz 

 bought his interest and conducted the 

 business until five years ago when he 

 retired. A widow, four sons and two 

 daughters survive. 



Mr. Lorenz was for many years a 

 member of the New York Florists' 

 Club and the S. A. F., attending the 

 conventions of the latter regularly 

 and was of a companionable, genial 

 temperament, which made for him 

 many friends. 



AN AMERICAN NURSERYMAN IN 

 JAPAN. 



Our friend, Ernest F. Coe, of the 

 Elm City Nursery Co., New Haven, 

 Conn., is undoubtedly enjoying himself 

 in the realm of the Mikado. Here is 

 a Japanese gentleman's translation of 

 a reading notice that has gone the 

 rounds of the Japanese press: 



AN AMEUlLAN HOHTICULTURIST. 



Mr. Earnest Francis Coe, president of a 

 plaut company iu Elm City, Connecticut, 

 N. A., is now staying In Kyoto Hotel witli 

 Mrs. Coe. His visit to Japan is to investi- 

 gate our gardens and plants and finish 

 some researches in Yokohama and Tokyo. 

 His particular study is of marnkan-pine (or 

 .Sekka-pine), agallochum and yew tree, as 

 he has found these gingko blloba family 

 very appropriate for ornamental aim in 

 gai'den. Gardens In Kyoto and hills and 

 mountains in the vicinity are now the ob- 

 jects of his strenuous researches, and his 

 earnest stud.v has given him the conclu- 

 sion that podorarpus chinensls and yew 

 tree are the fittest as garden trees, for 

 these are, on account of their slow growth, 

 by no means obstacles in garden view, and 

 oh the other hand seri'e as pretty good 

 shades from strong sunshine in summer 

 days. He bought several thon.sand sajiling 

 at plant companies in Yokohama and Kobe, 

 and has got stone lanterns and ornanient 

 stones for tens of thousand yen In this city. 

 Y'e.'iterdny morning he expressly went to 

 Mount Koyao with Mrs. Coe. as he hap- 

 pened in the course of his researches here 

 that a rare kind of above-mentioned plant 

 can be found in the sacred mount. — The 



Kyoto SJiimbrtit, 



Herman Lawrentz. 



Herman Lawrentz, a well known and 

 highly respected florist, who has con- 

 ducted a greenhouse for many years 

 on the Torrington road, Hartford, 

 Conn., was found dead in his bed 

 March 17. He was about 70 years of 

 age and had not complained of feeling 

 ill at any time. Mrs. Lawrentz is in a 

 critical condition from the shock 

 caused by the unexpected death of her 

 husband and owing to her advanced 

 age fears are entertained that she may 

 not recover. Mr. Lawrentz's death 

 was caused by heart disease. 



Marcus C. Longfellow. 



Marcus C. Longfellow, a former flor- 

 ist of Anderson, Ind., died on March 

 11th at his home on Yorktown Road, 

 near Muncie, aged fifty-one years. He 

 is survived by a widow, daughter and 

 two sons. Burial was at Beach Grove 

 Cemetery. 



A NOBLE BEQUEST. 



The old Nathaniel Ropes mansion in 

 Salem, Mass., filled with costly an- 

 tiques, and which, from Colonial days, 

 has been one of the most picturesque 

 structures in Salem, will ever be dedi- 

 cated to the uses of the public, under 

 the wills of Elizabeth O. and Mary 

 P. Ropes, granddaughters of the origi- 

 nal owner. 



The Misses Ropes have provided that 

 the house shall always remain as a me- 

 morial to the Ropes family and have 

 incidentally provided for free instruc- 

 tion in the knowledge of botany. For 

 that purpose the extensive grounds are 

 to form a botanical garden and a por- 

 tion of the same, together with other 

 land, which the trustees are author- 

 ized to purchase, is to be set aside as 

 a public park. 



To maintain the house in its present 

 condition and to carry out the purposes 

 of the testators they bequeathed 

 $144,000. 



