MUSHROOM SP.VWX. 85 



Mr. S. Henshaw, in Henderson's Hand-book of Plants, 

 tells us : "The quality of the spawn may be very easily 

 detected by the mushroom-like smell, . . . and I 

 should have no hesitation in picking out good spawn in 

 the dark." Sanguine, s^irely, but I have tried it and 

 found the test wanting. M. Lachaume says that good 

 spawn shows "an abundance of bluish-white filaments 

 well fitted together, and giving off a strongly marked 

 odor of mushrooms. All those portions which show 

 traces of white or yellow mold or have a floury appear- 

 ance, should be rejected and destroyed." Mr. Wright 

 says : "A brick may be a mass of moldiness, and yet 

 be quite worthless ; and if the mold has a spotted ap- 

 pearance, as if fine white sand had been dredged on and 

 through the mass, it is certain there is no mushroom- 

 growing power there. ... If thick threads pass 

 througli the mass and there are signs of miniature tuber- 

 cles on them, then the spawn may be regarded as too far 

 gone. . . . Clusters of white specks on the spawn 

 denote sterility." 



Mr. A. D. Cowan, of New York, who has the reputa- 

 tion of being an excellent judge of mushroom spawn, 

 writes me: "To correctly judge the quality of brick 

 spawn by its appearance requires experience in handling 

 it, and a trained eye which enables one quickly to detect 

 good from bad, fair to middling. As two lots seldom 

 come exactly or nearly alike in appearance, it is hardly 

 possible to give precise rules to follow, excepting the 

 never-failing requisite which the spawn must possess to 

 be good, namely, the moldy appearance on the surface, 

 the more the better, without showing threads. Too 

 many of these to a given space are a sure indication of 

 exhausted vitality, arising generally from the bricks 

 being heaped together when in process of manufacture, 

 before they are sufficiently dried. Healthy bricks are 

 usually of a dusty brown color, and of light weight. 



