1046 



MUSHROOM 



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 

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

 fails. This is equivalent to saying that he does not 

 know why he succeeds. By practice and experimenting 

 one hits upon or develops a method, and if he persists 

 he may become very skilful, but. it is next to impossible 

 for him to impart his knowledge. If he writes an article, 

 he describes his method in detail and deprecates other 

 methods; but the learner will be as likely to succeed 

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

 There are few people, if any, who succeed uniformly with 

 Mushrooms. Beds made the same day and of the same 

 material, planted from the same spawn, and similarly 

 cared for, may give very different results. One bed may 

 fail outright, and another may produce a good crop. 

 Persons who make uniform commercial 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 the propagation, growth and appropriation of 

 food of the Mushroom must be understood before one 

 can lay down principles for the culture of Mushrooms. 



Decaying vegetable matter, a uniform and rather low 

 temperature, a uniform 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, but this practice does not promise 

 much for most parts of America. In parts of Europe, 

 growing in the open is more successful. Cellars or pits 

 are favorite places in which to grow Mushrooms. The 

 conditions are uniform. Caves are favorite places in 

 which to grow Mushrooms, 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 



1445. A clump of young Mushrooms (X 



error. They often grow well in 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 



Mushrooms (Fig. 1445) taken before the cap has ex- 

 panded. 



Mushrooms are propagated by spores and spawn, 

 usually the latter. Spawn is the mycelium. It may be 

 dried, and will resume growth when congenial condi- 

 tions are given. It will keep for a number of years in a 

 cool, dry place. Dryness is essential. This spawn may 

 be secured from any place in which Mushrooms are 

 growing. The soil or manure containing the mycelium 



1446. Mushroom spawn. 



English spawn, or "bricks, "on the left; French or 

 " flake " spawn on the right. 



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- 

 mercial product. For this purpose the spawn is grown 

 is some prepared material, which may be dried and 

 transported. The making of spawn is a business of 

 itself. The English make and use the spawn mostly in 

 brick-like masses of earth and manure (Fig. 1446). 

 The French use also a spawn borne in a loose litter-like 

 material (Fig. 1446), 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. These are wet 

 and mixed until the material has the consistency of 

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

 allowed to dry until it can be cut into pieces, or 

 "bricks." While the bricks are still moist, a hole the 

 size of a walnut is made in the brick and fresh spawn is 

 inserted. The bricks are then placed under cover or in 

 a mild hotbed, where they are given such conditions as 

 will cause the mycelium to penetrate them thoroughly. 

 When the mycelium has ramified throughout the mass, 

 and the surface has a cloudy look, the brick rs 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 

 and then should be inoculated afresh from the spores. 

 Spawn made directly from the spores is known as 

 virgin spawn." It is made by incorporating the 

 abundant spores of ripe Mushrooms with the material 

 of which spawn is made. It is probable that many of 

 the large, thick Mushrooms which come up in odd places 

 in the greenhouse arise from spores. 



Mushrooms have been known as edible products from 

 very early times. Pliny mentions them, but his writ- 

 ings are 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 the damp earth, or 

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

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

 then assumes a more substantial but membranous form, 

 after which, as already stated, the young Mushroom ap- 

 pears. In general, these 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 



