MUSHROOM GROWING 83 



the number and their size until, if all the conditions 

 are favourable, the whole body of the bed is clothed 

 completely with Mushrooms of the finest quality, a 

 sight as pleasing and as interesting as any garden crop 

 is capable of presenting. 



Gathering. Although a simple operation, a good 

 deal of the success and duration of the crops depends 

 on the careful way in which this work is executed. 

 The Mushroom should be gathered when it is about 

 three parts grown, usually about three inches across. 

 If allowed to become larger than this the quality 

 deteriorates, and useless exhaustion to the bed is 

 caused. At the stalk of the developed Mushroom 

 will be found clustered together a group of three or 

 four tiny Mushrooms, more attached to the stem than 

 to the bed. These will never attain to any further 

 size or usefulness, and therefore if, in collecting the 

 Mushrooms, the stalk be cut with a knife, as is the 

 common practice, what remains of the stalk in the 

 bed perishes as well as these tiny embryo Mushrooms, 

 causing more or less decay and sourness, which is 

 inimical to the success of succeeding Mushrooms. It 

 will be gathered from this that Mushrooms should 

 not be cut off with a knife. On the contrary, the 

 Mushroom should be taken hold of by the hand, and 

 given a gentle twist, when both the Mushroom, the 

 stalk and all the spent part will come away together, 

 leaving the bed sweet and clean, and in a most favour- 

 able condition for encouraging the growth of the 

 succeeding young ones. 



