New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 331 



Yarieties forming loose heads : 



Grand Rapids, curled. 



Hanson, curled. 



New Iceberg, curled. 



Prize Head, curled, tinged with reddish brown. 



MUSHROOMS AS. A GREENHOUSE CROP. 



Within the last two years many inquires concerning the growing 

 of mushrooms have come to this Station, showing that in various 

 parts of the State there is an increasing demand for information on 

 this subject. At present many gardeners are not giving mushrooms 

 the attention they deserve as a secondary crop for utilizing space 

 under greenhouse benches. It is a crop particularly adapted for 

 growing under benches, if the heat is not too great, or in cellars, or 

 other dark apartments, for mushrooms develop readily in the dark as 

 well as in the light. 



This article has been prepared for the purpose of giving an 

 account of soi^e methods which have been successfully followed in 

 growing mushrooms in the Station greenhouses, together with a few 

 suggestions for the benefit of gardeners not familiar with the 

 ordinary methods of growing this crop, who are looking for some 

 profitable way of using the space under their greenhouse benches. 

 The account does not pretend to be an exhaustive treatise on mush- 

 room culture, neither does it present anything new to horticultural 

 science. Those who wish to secure more detailed instructions than 

 can be attempted here should consult some of the standard books on 

 mushroom culture. 



The extent to which gardeners may engage in mushroom grow- 

 ing with prospects of fair remuneration must depend largely on 

 local conditions, chief among which is accessibility to a good mar- 

 ket. Those who are inexperienced, either in growing or in market- 

 ing this crop, should not attempt its cultivation on a very extensive 

 scale till they have learned something about the business. Although 

 good directions for growing mushrooms may be secured from 

 an experienced neighbor, or from some reliable publication, it 

 should be remembered that skill is born of training and experience, 

 and can be imparted neither by printed page nor by word of mouth. 

 In growing mushrooms, as in all other work connected with garden- 

 ing, a certain degree of skill is essential to permanent success and 



