THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



September, 191 4. 



Mushroom Culture on a Large Scale 



B. H. C. Blanchard, B.S.A., EUershouse, N. S. 



A CROP that requires years of study 

 and experienc-e before the grower 

 can be assured of a regular yield 

 is mushro<jms. The culture of mush- 

 rooms is somewhat uncertain from start 

 to finish ; in spite of all precautions, the 

 crop may fall away below expectations. 

 A grower who has had more than ordi- 

 nary success is Mr. A. Collins, mushroom 

 expert for Church &• Illsley, of Fal- 

 mouth, N..S., whose methods, as related 

 to me during July, are full of interest. 



Speaking from 30 years' experience, 

 Mr. Collins stated as his belief that 

 where most growers fail is in the pre- 

 paration of the manure. The equipment 

 required is not expensive ; any cellar will 

 do that has a dry, hard lx)ttom. Mush- 

 rooms require darkness but the few win- 

 dows in the ordinary cellar need not be 

 darkened. The bottom may be clay, 

 gravel or concrete. If the. clay is not 

 dry, it is best to concrete it. In addition 

 to two ordinary house cellars. Church & 

 Illsley have a special mushroom house, 

 one hundred and twenty feet long, six- 

 teen feet wide, and four feet high to the 

 eaves. A longer house is not advisable. 

 It is tightly built with good lumber and 

 shingled all over. There are sevei^al 

 doors for handling the manure conven- 

 iently, but no windows. Steam heat is 

 used in winter. No heat is used in the 

 cellars. A mushroom house should be 

 as low as possible, convenience in work- 

 ing being a consideration. 



The manure is treated by Mr. Collins 

 for several weeks before it is put into the 

 cellars. Only the very best horse man- 

 ure is used. This is turned every day in 

 the open for ten days, and the long 

 straw all taken out. It is then turned 

 every other day for a week. After that 

 it is piled in ridges and turned once. 

 Three weeks in all should put the man- 

 ure in good shape. When ready, a 

 handful of the manure squeezed tightly 

 should become a solid ball, firm to the 

 touch. 



For the winter crop the best time to 

 prepare the manure is August, although 

 any time between .A.pril and the last of 

 August will do. The manure is placed 

 right on the clay or concrete in succes- 

 sive layers and tramped solid till it is 

 nine inches deep. The temperature will 

 sometimes rise to one hundred and thirty 

 degrees in two or three days, but when 

 it falls to eighty-five degrees the spawn 

 should be planted. 



Mr. Collins prefers breaking the ordi- 

 nary bricks of spawn into sixteen pieces. 

 These are planted an inch below the 

 surface of the manure, eight inches apart 

 each way. The manure is tramped down 

 solid and left for a week. After that a 

 coating of rich, loamy soil is applied 



iwo inches deep and pounded down till 

 it is just one inch thick. 



No attention need now be given to 

 the Ixids for six weeks, when the mush- 

 rooms will Ixigin to show. The first ap- 

 plication of water should now be given 

 and the beds thoroughly soaked. They 

 should require no more water till the 

 bulk of the crop is off. When the crop 

 begins to die away another good water- 

 ing will do till the crop is exhausted. 

 A mushroom bed will usually crop from 

 ten to sixteen weeks ; twenty weeks is 

 exceptional. Under good conditions a 

 bed will yield from one to one and a 

 half pounds to the square foot. 



From seven to eight weeks after sow- 

 ing the spawn the mushrooms will begin 

 to lift. If sown in .August they may 

 fun on till late in March. The dead 



manure is splendid for compost. -About 

 fifteen two-horse loads is sufficient for 

 twelve hundred square feet of bed. The 

 temperature of a mushroom house to 

 give best quality should not fall below 

 fifty-three degrees and not rise above 

 sixty-five. 



It is possible to take ofT two crops 

 of mushrooms in one year, if a new lot 

 of manure is put in as soon as the old 

 is taken out. The old bed can be reno- 

 vated without taking out the manure by 

 spreading one and one half inches dry 

 cow manure and soil on top, tramping 

 it well and then adding one-half inch 

 of soil. This course is advisable only 

 when one cannot wait to properly pre- 

 pare the horse manure for the coming 

 crop. Next to preparing the manure, 

 the watering is most important. The 

 two applications mentioned should be 

 sufficient ; too much water will kill the 

 spawn . 



Hints to Horticultural Exhibitors 



A. V. Main, Ottawa, Ont. 



I 



N view of the rapid increase in the 

 number of Horticultural Societies, 



the extension of fall fairs and the love 

 of garden recreation in general, some- 

 thing timely can be penned on the exhib- 

 iting of garden produce. Comjjetition in 

 the garden and in the competitive hall 

 maintains high standard of quality and 

 promotes healthy rivalry all round. 



Competition is universal. In the gar- 

 den it is a continual fight between weeds 

 and vegetables. Were it not for the 

 weeds our gardens might not receive the 

 necessary cultivation and we ourselves 

 would become indolent if gardening were 

 only a matter of sowing and reaping. 



A feature noticeably lacking at recent 

 exhibitions has been displays by our 

 well-known seed and nursery firms. Can- 

 ada's best fairs should be taken advan- 

 tage of by these firms for the purpose of 

 advertising new introductions of vege- 

 tables, fruits or flowers. The exhibitors 

 would be recompensed by medals or cer- 

 tificates, and the increased business that 

 would result from coming in contact with 

 their customers. 



UNATPRACTIVE ARl-tAN ?.EMENT. 



On every hand the vegetable produce 

 is unexcelled, so the spectators inform 

 us. By many judges, luckless competi- 

 tors, professional gardeners, and those 

 having a taste for arrangement, the con- 

 clusion reached is that the material is 

 good, but the arrangement is most in- 

 effective. No system is followed. This 

 is more evident at country fairs and does 

 not exist to such a degree at the up-to- 

 date shows, although in the latter case 

 the general ensemble could Ix- improved 

 upon also. A cabbage is placed here, a 

 squash overlapping. Tomatoes, onions. 



l>eets, and carrots are set down wherever 

 most convenient to the exhibitor. 



Such confusion is void of educational 

 value or of any benefit to those inter- 

 ested. The exhibits should impart a les- 

 son of improvement to the unsuccessful, 

 so that the individual can adjust matters 

 better in succeeding seasons. The space 

 for each section should be set aside and 

 distinctly labelled or else a competent 

 man placed in charge to keep the exhib- 

 its in order. 



All the entries of one class should be 

 kept by themselves. Such a system 

 commends itself to the judges whose du- 

 ties are lightened ; to the competitors, 

 who see at a glance how they stand and 

 profit by results for future contests, and 

 to the spectators who can obtain a more 

 comprehensive view of the exhibits. This 

 is away in advance of the old method of 

 having a first prize cabbage here and the 

 second prize alx>ut twenty yards off. 



A SLOPING EFFECT. 



Collections of vegetables should com- 

 mand a good effect. A sloping face is 

 necessary for the best results. Tall en- 

 tries should be confined to background. 

 There should be at least six samples of 

 each sort with the possible exception of 

 three hundred pound squashes or pump- 

 kins. A few indiscriminate representa- 

 tives in each class are not even worthy 

 of name. I consider naming an impor- 

 tant p)oint. Neat tickets are preferable, 

 wired several inches clear of samples. 



In preparing for the exhibition, clean 

 and trim the material well. Leave the 

 soil in the garden ; it is not required on 

 the show board. Competitors must re- 

 member to adhere to the regulations of 

 the prize list. If a given number of 



