656 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



Casing the Beds. An examination of the bed about two weeks 

 after spawning is desirable, and if it is found that the spawn is 

 "running" the beds may be cased with loam. Casing consists 

 in applying a layer of loam from 1 to l 1 /^ inches deep to the sur- 

 face of the bed. This loam should have been secured some time 

 in advance and carefully worked over or screened to get rid of the 

 largest pebbles, lumps, and trash. When applied it should be bare- 

 ly moist. Subsequently, if watered at all, it should be merely 

 sprinkled in order to prevent any drying out of the bed. Neither 

 a heavy clay nor a sandy loam should be used for casing purposes, 

 but almost any other soil is good. 



Watering. As previously indicated, the spreading spawn 

 should receive no water, or, at least, as little as possible. When, 

 however, the mushrooms begin to appear, more water will be re- 

 quired, and a light sprinkling may be given once or twice each 

 week or as often as the conditions demand. Beds which come into 

 bearing in proper condition should never be drenched. It has been 

 found by experience that under the most favorable conditions a bed 

 will require occasional sprinkling, since, owing to continual evapo- 

 ration, there will be a gradual loss of water, at least after the mush- 

 rooms begin to appear. Sprinklings should be made after the 

 mushrooms have been gathered, and the loam disturbed by the 

 removal of mushrooms should always receive a light sprinkling. 



Picking and Preparing for Market. When a bed is in full 

 bearing, the mushrooms should be gathered at least once in two 

 days, and it is well to pick them every day, particularly if the tem- 

 perature is up to 60 F. or more. Picking is itself an art, and the 

 intelligent grower will soon find that the yield of a bed may be 

 greatly lessened by lack of judgment in picking. To satisfy the 

 general demands of the markets it is not recommended to take the 

 buttons; yet if there is a fancy trade for these it should be met. 

 Little or no gain of weight occurs in the mushroom, however, after 

 the veil begins to break, so that mushrooms should not be left after 

 this time. Flat tops are a third-grade article, but these, as w r ell as 

 all defective mushrooms, should be sedulously removed from the 

 bed every day. 



In picking, grasp the mushroom by the cap (a large one by 

 both cap and stem), twisting it to remove it easily from the soil. 

 Where the mushrooms come up in large united clusters, it will be 

 best to cut them, in order not to disturb the mycelial connections 

 of all. Some good growers practice "cutting" throughout, but the 

 stubs must decay and are a source of danger. After all good mush- 

 rooms from a cluster have been taken, remove any fleshy spawn 

 masses adhering and add fresh loam. 



As they are picked, the mushrooms are put into shallow bas- 

 kets and taken to a sorting and packing table. The stems are cut 

 off and any adhering loam is brushed from the cap. It is true that 

 mushrooms keep somewhat better if the stub is left attached and the 

 loam removed by rubbing, but except in special cases this proce- 

 dure is not to be recommended. It is not necessary to cut the stem 



