MUSHROOM CASING SOIL IN RELATION TO YIELD 3 



the former being 2.18 pounds per square foot whereas the latter was 

 2.15 pounds. 



It was quite clear that moderate differences in thickness of casing 

 did not influence yield. The results of these experiments, therefore, 

 are in accordance with the present practice of using approximately 1 

 inch of casing, as opposed to the older practice of casing 2 or 3 inches 

 thick. The 1-inch depth is preferable to a thicker layer, because it is 

 more economical to apply and because mushrooms appear sooner on 

 1-inch casing than on thicker casing. When casing is applied to a 

 depth of less than 1 inch, it is difficult to spread the soil evenly and to 

 maintain a proper moisture content. Furthermore, with shallow cas- 

 ing there is a greater chance of injuring the mycelium in the compost 

 immediately beneath the casing by overwatering. This oftentimes 

 is the cause of a seriously reduced yield. 



TIME OF CASING 



Two experiments were made in which the time of casing was the 

 factor considered. The results of these experiments are summarized 

 in tables 1 and 2. These data indicate that both early casing and late 

 casing may sometimes reduce the total yields. When interpreting 

 the results given in table 2 it should be kept in mind that the plots 

 numbered differently were in many cases subjected to different condi- 

 tions. Therefore, the only variability relevant to the problem lies in 

 differences between the yields of paired plots cased at different times, 

 such as 1 and la, 2 and 2a, etc. This was taken into consideration 

 when calculating the odds given at the foot of the table by using the 

 pairing method for calculating the standard error of the means of the 

 differences. 



Table- 1. — Relation of time of applying casing soil to yield of cultivated mushrooms 



[Tests made in 1931] 



Time of casing 



Bed 



No. 



Yield 



per 10 



square 



feet 



Mean 

 yield 

 per 

 square 

 foot i 



Filling time, - _ __ 



I 1 

 2 



1 3 

 4 



I 5 

 1 

 2 



\ 3 

 4 



I 5 

 1 

 2 



\ 3 



4 



I 5 



Ounces 

 166 

 139 

 180 

 187 

 248 

 182 

 152 

 219 

 205 

 213 

 257 

 242 

 275 

 238 

 288 



Pounds 

 1 L2 



^ 1 2 



Spawning time _ _______ 



2 weeks after spawning. _ _ _ 



! 



J 



r ] fi 







Standard error of the mean yield of 5 plots is 0.08 pound per square foot. 



