The Lancaster Farmer 



Prof. S. S. RATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., NOVEMBER, 1875. 



Vol. VII. No. 11. 



THE MUSH ROOM. 

 {Agarictts i'lituprstiis.) 



Wlietliei' the cninnKin sjK'cii'.s of Anierioiin 

 edible niu.slii-Diiin i.>* identical with tlie eoiunioii 

 edible specie.s of Kuioiie. or whether it is speci- 

 fically ditVereiit, is not essentially ijei-niain to 

 the present di.scnssion of this most excellent 

 fungoid esculent. There are few in our towns, 

 villages and rural ilistricls who have not been 

 familiar witli the name and delicious (pialities 

 of the mushroom trom their earliest youthful 

 observations up to the present time, whether 

 amonf; the old, the nnddle ajjed, or the younj; ; 

 and it is rather a matter of surprise that in the 

 present proijressive period, when utility and 

 economy are marching; abreast in the explora- 

 tion of nature's domain, seeking and develop- 

 ing new comf(u-ts, convenieTices and luxuries 

 for the use andlielioofoftlu'hnnian family, that 

 Yankee genius, jierseverance an<l enterprise 

 have not achieved something in (hat direction. 

 The field and function in our domestic econo- 

 my that involves the artificial propagation and 

 culture of the nnishroom is .still lying fallow. 

 Not even the maunfactiu'e of spurious bricks 

 of mushroom spawn has yet been attempted, 

 and the country is still waiting to be cheated 

 in this respect. 



In case any of our readers should feel a de- 

 sire to know something more about the mush- 

 room and its cultivation as a contribution to 

 our ])resent market jirodncts, we insert the 

 following from a cotemiiorary journal on the 

 subject, so that even if tliey do not feel inclined 

 to engage in its cultivation, they may at least 

 know what has been done, and is still being 

 done, by other nations and i)eo])les: 



"Mushroom growing, as it is carried on in 

 some parts of France, is one of the most ex- 

 traordinary examiiles of culture in the known 

 world. In the vicinity of Paris are extensive 

 stone-(iu,arries, long since abandoned, from 

 which the stone has been extracted, leaving 

 extensive caves, as in coal mines, sixty and 

 seventy feet underground, and extending great 

 distances, in some instances fairly under the 

 city itself. In these caves the temi)erature is 

 very equal, and the atmosphere moist : and 

 here mushroom-growing has been brought to 

 its fullest development. The floor of the cave 

 is carefully swept, and the lieds are then made 

 of the dust of the stonecutting yards above, 

 mixed with stable manure. The beds are about 

 twenty-two inches in height, and the same in 

 width, ranged in parallel rows, between which 

 there is just room enough to walk. The tem- 

 ])erature of the bed is carefully noted, during 

 the fermentation of the manure, and the spawn 

 of the mushroom is not sown until it is below 

 seventy degrees Fahr. : since, if it is above this, 

 the layers of spawn are liable to be burnt. 

 The spawn, when sown, is covered with ma- 

 nure, which is removed as soon as vegetation 

 begins, and is replaced by earth. The details 

 of making the beds, watering them, picking 

 the crop, and renewing the spawn, vary in 

 different localities, l)ut the general system is 

 everywhere the same. Tlie nnishroom caves 

 of Montrouge, just outside of the fortific;itions 

 of Paris, on the southern side, are reached by 

 descending well-like pits, by means of a ladder, 

 which is simply a single jiole with sticks run 

 through to serve as steps. From the bottom 

 of the pit little i)assages radiate. They are 

 sometiiues narrow and very low, but every 

 inch of available room is made use of, and as 

 many beds are crowded together as possible. 

 Eyerything is kept .scruiadously neat, and no 

 litter is left strewn on the floor, as one woidd 

 natur.ally expect. Another type of mushroom 

 cave is fo\md at Frepillon Mery-sur-Oise, where 

 are the ([uarries for the building stone and plas- 

 ter so largely used in Paris. The excavations 

 here are not in small, narrow passages, as in 

 those previously described, but form large 



vaulted aiiartnients. The beds are arranged 

 in rows, in such a manner as to make the most 

 of the sjiace, and here, as elsewhere, the i)rac- 

 tice of planting a certain number of bc(ls every 

 day in the year is observed, so that Ihe supply 

 is unfailing. An idea of the nnishroom Imsi- 

 liess may be formed when it is known that one 

 propr ietor lias twenty-one miles of beds,a not her 

 sixteen, another sevi'U, and .so on through a 

 long list. Among the unmeroiis localities in 

 which the culture of the mushroom is carried 

 on, besides the two mentioned, the principal 

 are Moulin de la Itoche, Sous ]5ieetre, near 

 Saint (iermain, andat liagneiix. Thesecaves, 

 like niiiies, are under government supervision, 

 and vary in depth from twenty to one hundreil 

 and fifty or sixty feet. Coal mines are not 

 ailaiited to the growing of mushrooms, and the 

 smallest jiarticleof iron in the bcdsof manure, 

 is avoided by the spawn ; a circle anumd it 

 remaining inert. It is' said to be the same 

 with coal." 



According to Kind, the Agurirux ccDnpi'stris, 

 or common mushroom, is the only species cul- 

 tivated in Europe as an article (if food, and as 

 it is the only species that is likely to lie culti- 

 vated in America until more is known about 

 the ipialities of all our native species, and as 

 even the common species, above named, is 

 liable to be mistaken or confounded with the 

 poisonous varieties, we Will add a desci'iption 

 of the genuine kind, as a guide to the novice: 



" The stem of the edible niushroom is short, 

 solid, and white, marked a little below the 

 cup with a permanent ring, the remains of the 

 curtain that covers the gills in their earlv 

 stage." 



Immediately after the niushroom is above 

 the ground, the cu]) is almost an ol)long R])here, 

 but after the veil is broken and it jirogresses 

 towards maturity, it will lie found like the 

 illustrations accompanying this paper, the rear 

 figure not (piite as far advanced as the front 

 one. 



The cup at first is white, regular convex, 

 and a little turned in at the edges. As it ad- 

 vances in growth and age, the; surface becomes 

 brownish, scaly, and llattened. The tlesh is 

 white, tirni,aiid solid; the gills a re loose, reach- 

 ing to the stems on all sides, lint not touching 

 it. When young, these are of a pinky red, 

 but change to a livid colorabout the.same time 

 that the cup alters its form, and the upper sur- 

 face also changes its color. The latter circum- 

 stances dislinguisli it in this stage from the 

 dark gilded "toad-stool," witli whicii it 

 might be otherwise confounded. 



The gemiiiie mushroom is the Chiimpifinon 

 of the French, and the J'nilifiliot'thc Italian.s. 

 It was well known and highly esteemed by the 

 ancients. The common species vary niuch in 

 size, from two to eight inches in diameter. In 

 .some parts of the northern counties of Kiig- 

 land a nm.shroom was gathered that measured 

 thirfv-four inches in circumference, and 

 weiglied over a [lound : another measured 

 thirty-two inches in circumference, ten inches 

 around the stem, and weighed one pound eight 



ounces. A 11 hough <if so common and abun- 

 dant growlh ill some situali<ins and seasons, 

 yet to <ibtain a regular supply, mushrooms are 

 now generally cultivated artiiicially in Fiirope, 

 as heretofore described in this paper, l^iit file 

 wild kinds fioni old pastures are al ways consid- 

 ered more del ieale in llavor than those obtained 

 by culture. The chief places where mushrooins 

 naturally grow are neiderately dry, rich, old 

 pasture grounds, and from such places they 

 are .sometimes largely gathered during suniiuer 

 and aiitunin. 



Mushroom ( ulture. perhaps, requires more 

 Iiatient, ]ierseveriiig and skilful labor than the 

 cultivation of ordinary vegetables; but when 

 once all the conditions and relations necessary 

 are known, and some experience therein has 

 been attained, it will doubtless be simple 

 enough. A writer in The (iarden, an English 

 horticultural journal, says, "the best mush- 

 room spawn I ever used wius some that had 

 been keiit above a warm, dry place for two 

 years or more. It became hard as a iKiard, 

 and had to be broken wjth a hammer when 

 wanted for spawning the beds. I have seen 

 the niuslirooms up in four weeks from the date 

 of spawning, and have gathered jilauts in six 

 weeks, about the period it is generally sup- 

 posed that spawn requires to run. Many 

 mushroom growers make a mistake in spawn- 

 ing their beds at too low a temperature, say 

 7"i . This temiierature rmti/ do, but 85'-- is 

 lierfectly safe, and will cause the spawn to run 

 sooner, and will give quicker returns." 



Mu.sludom spawn is a white librous sub- 

 stance, running like broken threads through 

 any substance lit to nourish it, and this scat- 

 tered on iiroperly prepared beds iiroduces a 

 lilentiful crop. In no case is it iieces.sary to 

 sow the visible seeds of these fungi. Tliey 

 seem to exist almost everywhere, and all that 

 seems necessary is a iiroper locality for their 

 development. Ilorse-droppings and garden 

 mould, with marble dust, seem to be the prin- 

 cipal ingredients necessary. The "dniiipings" 

 generate sufficient heat for the purpo.se, with- 

 out any artilieial appliance. This is amply 

 demonstrated at the Iliitksville chicken hatch- 

 ery, where the necessary temperature is con- 

 stantly kejit up by horse-dropi lings. There are 

 many exhausted ([uarrie^ in Lancaster county, 

 which, if properly closed in, would make good 

 inusliroom beds. Of course, those who would 

 desire to j;(i into the culture of these fittuji 

 would no doubt jirefer to get Iheir "spawn 

 bricks" from exiierienced and reliable sources, 

 but should they desire to use sjiawn of their 

 own make, they may make it by taking any 

 amount of fresh li(irse-dro])iiings, and adding 

 thereto oiie-tb.ird of cow "s droppings, Ihe s;ime 

 ipiantity of mould, with some short litter, and 

 mash the whole into a thin c<impost, which is 

 spread on the open lloorof a shed and allowetl 

 to remain until it is dry enough to form iiit<i 

 Hat bricks. In Kiiglish lists are about sixty 

 species of edible /uiitji, including "triitlles," 

 "inorells," " iHitl-balls,"" " piiie-stems," ite., 

 Ac., to which we sliall refer on some future 



OUR CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



No. 2.— The Bean. 

 The place of honor among the pea-tlowering 

 plants must be awarded to the iH-aii; for, if 

 we are to lielieve Isidorus. this was the lirat 

 culinary vegetable made use of by man. The 

 nionumeiils fif Kgypt show that the iK'an was 

 cultivated in that country al an early date, 

 and the Kgyjitians. Greeks and Honians, all 

 held very curious and supei-stilious notions 

 resiiecting this vegetable. Some authors say, 

 iK'cause its po<l resembles the ark of Xoah in 

 form, and in gratitude for the preservation of 

 that patriarch, the beau was forbidden to be 



