150 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



MUSHROOMS (Agaricus campestris) 



There are many edible wild mushrooms, and they differ 

 in no particular from the so-called toadstools, but the 

 species named above is the kind commonly cultivated. 

 The part eaten is really the fruit-bearing portion and not, 

 as many suppose, the plant itself. The true plant is the 

 white network of fibers that grow in the soil, and it is this 

 part that is used in propagating them. 



Culture. The cultivation of the mushroom is often 

 attended with uncertainty. It is, however, being grown 

 on an increasingly larger scale, and the demand for it 

 constantly increases. The conditions essential to success 

 in growing it are a rich soil and a steady temperature of 

 from 50 to 75 F. It is for the purpose of securing this 

 latter requisite that cellars and old caves are often utilized 

 in its culture, as light is not necessary. Horse manure is a 

 practically indispensable material for the growth of mush- 

 rooms. If possible, it should be from animals fed on rich, 

 nitrogenous food and be as free from strawy litter as it 

 can be obtained. This should be thoroughly mixed with 

 a fourth or fifth part of good garden soil and is then ready 

 to go into the beds. Care should be taken that the beds 

 are in a well-drained, damp place. They may be of any 

 size or shape desired but should be about ten inches deep. 

 Some of the largest growers use tiers of shelves or boxes, 

 each one of which is eight or ten inches deep, into which 

 they put the soil. 



Whatever the shape of the beds, the soil should be 

 packed into them firmly and evenly and be left smooth on 

 the outside. A thermometer should then be inserted in the 

 center of the mass. As soon as fermentation sets in, the 

 temperature will rise until probably over 100 F. will be 

 indicated, and when it falls to 80 the bed is ready to 



