MUSHROOMS 179 



mushroom-grower or " Champignonniste," as he 

 ought to call himself perhaps prefers to work out his 

 salvation on independent, instead of on co-operative 

 lines, and has, therefore, something yet to learn from 

 his French competitor. 



In the neighbourhood of Paris Mushrooms are mostly 

 grown in underground quarries from which stone has 



FIG. 52. MUSHROOM-BEDS IN CAVE : ROOF 

 SUPPORTED BY BLOCKS OF STONE. 



been excavated in years gone by. These quarries, or 

 carrier es, are from 60 to 80 ft. below the surface, a 

 fact that ensures a fairly equable temperature from 

 60 to 70 Fahr. all the year round. Some of these 

 quarries are entered by a sloping roadway, but ad- 

 mission to many is only obtained by descending a 

 more or less shaky pole, with rungs thrust through it 

 to make a ladder. It is like descending an old and 



