536 



HORTICULTUR E 



April 8, 1911 



THE QUESTION OF MOISTURE 



FOR MUSHROOMS. 

 Editor of HORTICULTURE: 



I liave read a great deal about 

 mustirooms, including the articles in 

 HORTICULTURE, during the past 

 six months, and have experimented 

 some. I don't know it all yet. Who 

 can tell me something more? 



Experiment 1. Soil, V^ rotted ma- 

 nure, % garden soil. Box 2x4 feet, 

 located under bench in house ranging 

 nights from 60 to 70 degrees, and days 

 up to 80. Very little heat from soil 

 fermentation. Spawned at 80 degrees 

 P. Cased when down to 70 degrees. 

 Surface lightly sprinkled when dry. 

 Buttons appeared in seven weeks and 

 a few matured. Then many buttons 

 showed but nothing matured. At end 

 of three months I gave the box a 

 heavy soaking. Result, a crop of ma- 

 ture mushrooms in two days. This 

 is contrary to all literary instruc- 

 tions, both as to temperature and 

 •watering. 



Experiment 2. Soil, % manure and 

 topped with some garden soil. Mois- 

 ture same as No. 1, but with 10 de- 

 grees less temperature of house. Not 

 so many buttons matured at end of 

 two months. Again I watered freely 

 and again there was immediate pro- 

 duction of mature mushrooms. More 

 light is needed of a scientific nature 

 as to the moisture and watering ques- 

 tion. The experimentation seems to 

 point to the possibility of growing 

 mushrooms without much manure fer- 

 mentation in the soil, controlling the 

 soil temperature by the outside at- 

 mospheric temperature. I had quite a 

 voluntary crop of mushrooms in my 

 grape houses about a month after 

 starting the same. Well rotted horse 

 manure was forked in the borders 

 about a month before we turned on 

 heat, which was Dec. 1. The grapes 

 are now beginning to color. We have 

 grown some fine Telegraph cucum- 

 bers in large pots under the grape 

 vines, and are crossing White Spine 

 and Telegraph as an experiment. 

 J. M. W. KITCHEN, M. D. 



THE BOSKOOP EXHIBITION. 



We have received a large colored 

 poster of the great exhibition of 

 forced shrubs and plants which is be- 

 ing held from April 5 to 16, on the 

 occasion of the 50th anniversary of 

 the Pomological Society of Boskoop 

 (Holland). The members of this so- 

 ciety now apply themselves almost ex- 

 clusively to the cultivation of all sorts 

 of conifers, evergreens and shrubs and 

 perennials for forcing. The exhibi- 

 tion will be highly interesting, for the 

 great collaboration of the principal 

 firms of Boskoop and its environs 

 guarantees a complete survey of all 

 kinds of shrubs and perennials for 

 forcing, which are in cultivation in 

 this well known nursery district. C. 

 H. Claassen is president and C. Th. 

 Moerlands secretary of the exhibition. 



FIRE RECORD. 



Reading, Pa. — On March 5th fire de- 

 stroyed the building occupied by the 

 flower store of Guy W. Payne. 



Clarinda, Iowa. — The seed house of 

 A. A. Berry was totally destroyed by 

 fire March 19th. About 1500 bushels 

 of onions, cultivating machinery, ship- 

 ping crates, etc., were destroyed also. 

 Insurance $3,500. 



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