MUSHROOM GROWING 279 



nearly the whole collection of plants grown in northern climates 

 for fragrant leaves or seeds is hardy in the California winter, and 

 most of them do best with early sowing as soon as the soil is well 

 moistened by the fall rains. Most failures with them are traceable 

 to sowing too late, which comes from following eastern practice. 

 Where the winter is quite frosty, fall sowing is less desirable, but 

 with February warmth the seed should be in the ground. Early 

 sowing enables the plants to secure good rooting, and with that, 

 growth can be carried later in the dry season. Late sowing causes 

 many a plant to dwindle in the summer heat even if irrigation is 

 afforded. It must also be remembered that many plants must be 

 diligently cultivated during our dry season which thrive without it 

 in the humid summer of other countries. 



MUSHROOMS. 



Field growth of mushrooms is abundant during the rainy sea- 

 son in California especially do the fall rains bring to view such 

 great quantities of them that they can be easily gathered by bushels. 

 The list of edible mushrooms in California includes many species 

 which afford a fine field for mycological epicures. Recently there 

 has arisen quite a producing interest in the line of cellar culture of 

 mushrooms chiefly by foreigners, and their methods are essentially 

 the same that are practiced elsewhere, descriptions of which are 

 readily available. Good detailed publications can be had free on 

 application to the Secretary of Agriculture at Washington which 

 will give the inquirer a good outline of arrangement and methods. 



An outline of California practice, which Mr. Peter Arndt of 

 Los Angeles found successful, is as follows : 



Mushrooms can be grown in the cellar for home use providing the cellar 

 can be kept at an even temperature with plenty of light and air, but large 

 and profitable crops in a specially built house or in an old out-building prop- 

 erly fitted for their growth. 



Start with a bed 10x10 feet which sounds like a very small beginning 

 indeed, but this size bed should produce at least 200 pounds of mushrooms. 



Secure a two-horse load of horse manure. Wet it down thoroughly, and 

 turn it over daily with a pitchfork. As soon as it dries out pretty well, wet 

 it again, and repeat the turning over process. Do this for about ten days, 

 and then transfer the compost or manure to the beds you have already 

 prepared. 



Pack the manure thoroughly in the bed to a thickness of about seven 

 inches, and let it stand. Place a thermometer in the bed, to a depth of about 

 three inches ; the temperature will rise to about 75 or 80 degrees. When the 

 temperature reaches this point, cut your spawn into pieces about two inches 

 square and set into the beds two inches below the surface and one foot apart. 

 It should be right to set the spawn one week after packing the bed. 



One week after setting the spawn cover the bed to a depth of one-half 

 inch with fine sifted garden soil ; after that sprinkle the bed lightly from time 

 to time; just enough to keep it moist, but not wet. 



The mushrooms will start to appear in from six to seven weeks. If you 

 can keep your bed at a temperature of about 60 degrees you will get fine 

 results, but a temperature of from 45 to 75 degrees will do, and with proper 

 sprinkling will produce just as good results as an even temperature of 60 

 degrees. 



