1046 



MUSHROOM 



and contain the spores inside of the rounded mass 

 within sacs. Few have been found in this country, be- 

 cause they have not been diligently searched for. 



Geo. F. Atkinson. 



Mushroom Culture. There is no science of Mushroom 

 niltiire. That is to say, one does not know why he 

 f:iiN. 'riii< i- irpiiv-iient to saying that he does not 



kn'i.v \vh Im ,., ,1^. By practice and experimenting 



"II' III 11 < I'lps a method, and if he persists 



li iiii; -kilful, but it is next to impossible 



liir liiiii I" iiiiiiM I iii^ kiiDwledge. If he writes an article, 

 ho descrilK's liis im-thod in detail and deprecates other 

 methods; but the learner will be as lilcely to succeed 

 by some other method, and neither man will know why. 

 There are few people, if any.whosuccued uniformly with 

 Mushrooms. B.ils nunli- tin- saiin ,l;iy :iii(l of the same 

 material, plaiilnl Iimmi iln -um -| ivii, and similarly 

 cared for, may ;;n . mi \ iliih 1 1 m r- uli-. One bed may 

 fail outright, ami .ninilHr may |iiiHiii,c a good crop". 

 Persons who nuike uuiluim tajjiiiiu-iL-ial success of 

 Mushroom-growing accomplish it by having many beds 

 or by proceeding on a rather large base: it is infrequent 

 that all the beds fail. The biological problems con- 

 cerned in tlie prDiiaL'ation, growth and appropriation of 

 food of till- .■\lii-<lii-..i,in must be understood before one 

 can Iayi|i'\\ii |iriiMi[ik'S for the culture of Mushrooms. 



Decav ill:,' v.;;rtali|r matter, a uniform and rather low 

 tempei-atiirc. a unifnrai supply of moisture,— these are 

 the general requisites for Mushroom-growing. The de- 

 caying matter is supplied by horse manure. The manure 

 is allowed to heat and is turned several times before it 

 is placed in the bed. The heating itself is probably of 

 no advantage except as it contributes to the decay of the 

 material: heat can be supplied by other means if neces- 

 sary. The broken and decaying manure is placed a few 

 inches or a foot deep in beds. When the temperature 

 is reduced to 90° or less the spawn is planted. As soon 

 as the bed has cooled sufficiently, it is covered with 

 earth or litter to regulate the temperature and moisture. 



The cultivated Mushroom is native in temperate 

 climates. In the United States and Canada it grows 

 naturally in fields and pastures. But it is grown in- 

 doors: this is because the conditions can be better con- 

 trolled under cover, particularly the temperature. Now 

 and then some one makes a success of growing Mush- 

 rooms out of doors, hut this practice does not promise 

 nmi-li for most jiarts of Aniorioa. In parts of Europe, 

 f.M-o«-iiii; in thr ojicii is m.irr successful. Cellars or pits 

 aru favorite plar,-s in wliicli to grow Mushrooms. The 

 conditions art- uniform. Caves are favorite places in 

 which to grow Muslirooms, because of the slight fluctu- 

 ations of temperature and moisture. Cellars and caves 

 are dark : thereby has arisen a belief that darkness is 

 essential to the growing of Mushrooms, but this is an 



of young Mushrooms (X K) 



error. They often grow well m an unscreened green- 

 house. Pastures are not dark. Spawn may be planted 

 in a lawn, and Mushrooms will sometimes come; but it 

 is seldom that the conditions are right for a crop. 



Mushrooms are in edible condition at any time from 

 their first appearing above the ground to the time when 

 the rim of the cap begins to turn up and the flesh to 

 lose its softness. See Figs. 1440, 1441. For pickling, 

 "buttons" are usually preferred; these are the young 



Mushro 

 pandeil. 



Mushrooms s 

 usually the latt< 

 dried, and will 

 tions are given. 



growing. The soil • 



(Fig. 141.')) taken before the cap has ex- 



' flake" spawn 



riglit. 



is broken into large lumps or flakes, and is planted in 

 the desired place; the mycelium spreads through the 

 bed and in time bears the fruiting stage or Mushroom. 

 Formerly the spawn was gathered as needed, but since 

 about 1830 it has been made or produced as a com- 

 morei.ll product. For this purpose the spawn is grown 

 i< .-tnr M-. i,.r,,I matorial. wliirl, inav lio driod and 

 tr- ■•. I r!,i. iiKikin- of ^pawii is a l.u~iii,-s ,,f 



ulso 



-like 



material iFig. 1440), although not all of the French 

 spawn is made in France. The English or brick spawn 

 comprises nine-tenths of the spawn used in America. 

 The brick is made of a mixture in about equal parts of 

 horse manure, cow manure and loam. Those- are wet 

 and mixed until the material has the consistom-y of 

 mortar. The material is then spread on a floor and is 

 allowed to dry until it can be out into ])ioo.s, or 

 "bricks." While the bricks are still in.ii-i, a Ii..!i tlm 

 size of a walnut is made in the brick i i ' ■ . - i n is 

 inserted. The bricks are then place.; ,i , ,: ,,i m 



a mild hotbed, where they are givon - i -as 



will cause the mycelium to penetrate lii. lu ;liwruu.,lily. 

 When the mycelium has ramified througliout the mass, 

 and the surface has a cloudy look, the brick is dried and 

 stored. This brick may be likened to a yeast cake. 



Expert Mushroom-growers believe that spawn which 

 is made over and over again from the mycelium tends 

 to become weak and to produce small crops of thin- 

 fleshed Mushrooms. They believe that the spawn now 

 aiul then should lie inoculated afrosh from the spores. 

 Spawn made directly from flo- s]..ii-is is known as 

 "virgin spawn." It U mail, liy incr],.. rating the 

 abundant spores of ripe Mii-liciun- witli tlio material 

 of which spawn is made. It i^ ].r-..l.aMc that many of 

 the larffp, thii'k Mushrooms which ouniu up in odd places 

 in the irrcfnii.'iiso arise from spores. 



:m i-hroom-, have been known as edible products from 

 vri) caily tiiiiis. Pliny mentions them, but his writ- 

 iiii;^ aro mostly warnings not to eat them because they 

 are poisonous. He places them "among those vegetable 

 productions which are eaten with risk." The following 

 are some of his remarks respecting the Mushroom: 



"The generative principle of the Mushroom is in the 

 slime and the fermenting juices of tlie damp earth, or 

 of the roots of most of the glanrliforous trees. It ap- 

 pears at first in the shape of a sort of viscous foam, and 

 then assumes a more substantial but mombranous f.irm, 

 after which, as already statetl. the young Mushroom ap- 

 pears. In general, tliese plants are of a pernicious na- 

 ture, and the use of them should be altogether rejected; 

 for if by chance they should happen to grow near a hob- 

 nail, a piece of rusty iron, or a bit of rotten cloth, they 

 will immediately imbibe all these foreign emanations 

 and flavours, and transform them into poison. Who, in 

 .fact, is able to distinguish them, except those who dwell 



