104G 



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. 



<_tEO. p. Atkinson. 



Musliroom Culture. There is no s<-ience of Musliroom 

 culture. Tliat is to say, one dues not know why he 

 fails. This is equivalent to saying that he does not 

 know why he succeeds. By practice and exi)eriinenting 

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

 lie may become very skilful, but it is next to impossible 

 for him to impart his knowledge. If he writes an artich'. 

 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 witli 

 Mushrooms. Beds made the same day and of tlie 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 croj). 

 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 

 tbat all the beds fail. The biological proltlcms con- 

 cerned in the propagation, growth and appropriation of 

 foud of tlie Mushroom nmst be understood l)efore 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-gruwing. The de- 

 caying matter is supplie<l I)y horse manure. The manure 

 is allowed to heat and is turned several times before it 

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

 no advantage except as it contributes to the decay of the 

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

 sary. The broken and decaying manure is placed a few 

 inches or a foot deep in be<ls. When the temperature 

 is reduced to 90^ or less tlie spawn is planted. As soon 

 as the bed has cooled sufEicieutly, it is c<)vered 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 tields and pastures. But it is grown in- 

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

 trolled under cover, particularly the temperature. Xow 

 and then some one makes a success of growing Blush- 

 rooras out of doors, but this practice dues not i>romise 

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

 growing in the open is more suceessful. Cellars or ]iits 

 are favorite places in which to grow Mushrooms. The 

 conditions are uniform, (^aves are favorite places in 

 which to grow Mushrooms, l>ecause of the slight fluctu- 

 ations of temperature and moisture; Cellars and caves 

 are dark: thereby has arisen a belief tbat darkness is 

 esseritial to the growing of jrusbrooms, but this is an 



1445) taken before the cap ha.^ 



A clump of youne Mushrooms (X ■ 



error. They often grow well in an unscreened green- 

 house. Pastures are not ilark. 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 tin; ground to the time when 

 the rim of the cap begins to turn up and the llesh lo 

 l(.se its softness. See Figs. 1440, 1441. For i)irkiiug, 

 "buttons" are usually preferred; these are the voung 



Mushrooms ( Fi 

 panded. 



JM us h rooms 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 

 <'Ool, dry place. Dryness is essential. Tliis spawn may 

 lie secured from any place in which Mushrooms are 

 growing. The soil or manure containing the mycelium 



1446. Musbroom spawn. 



Eiil,'lish spawn, or " brirks," mi tlu' left: French or 



" riake " spawn uu tli(.-i rit^lit. 



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 (F'ig. 144f;i. 

 The French use also a spawn borne in a loose litter-lik(; 

 material (Fig. 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 nKi.nure, 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 

 ''))rieks." 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 sxich 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 is dried and 

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



Expert Mushroom-growers believe that spawn which 

 is maih^ over and over again from the mycelium temls 

 U) become weak and to produce small crops of thin- 

 fleshed Mushrooms. They believe tbat the spawn now 

 and then should be inoculated afresh from the spores. 

 Spawn niade directly from the spores is known ;is 

 " virgin spawn." It is made by incorporating th(^ 

 abundant spores of ripe Mushrooms with the material 

 of which spawn is made. It is probat)le that many of 

 the large, thick Mushrooms which come up in odd places 

 in the greeidiouse arise from sjtores. 



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 ai-e eaten with risk." The following 

 are some of his remarks respecting tlie 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- 

 l)f'ars at first in the shape of a sort of viscous foam, and 

 then assumes a more sul>stantial but niendu-anons form, 

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

 pears. In general, these plants are of a ])ernicious na- 

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

 for if by cham^e they should hapiKMi to grow Tiear a hob- 

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

 will immediately imbibe all these foreigii emanations 

 and flavours, and transform thiun into poisoTi. Who, in 

 fact, is al)le lo distinguish tbem, except those who dwell 



