422 VEGETABLE FORCING 



should be discarded, and two or more grades should be 

 made of those that are marketable. 



Mushrooms are sold in a great diversity of packages. 

 Boxes or carriers and baskets of various descriptions are 

 in common use. (See Fig. 155.) Baskets holding five to 

 ten pounds are used, but four-pound climax baskets are 

 most popular and the product carries better in a package 

 of this size than it does in larger ones. The smaller 



Fig. 155. Baskets of mushrooms packed ready for the covers. 



packages which hold only one or two pounds are gaming 

 in popularity. They should be lined with paper and made 

 as attractive as possible. 



Mushrooms will keep in good condition in ordinary 

 temperatures for two days, and in cold storage much 

 longer. It is desirable, however, to market them as soon 

 as possible after they are picked. 



Yields and prices. Some growers consider the crop 

 profitable when an average of half a pound of mushrooms 

 is picked per square foot, but the beds should yield a 

 pound to the square foot, and two pounds are often re- 

 ported. The price per pound varies from 25 cents to $1, 



