MUSHROOM PESTS AND THEIR CONTROL 3 



PRECAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED IN PREPARATION OF 

 THE MUSHROOM HOUSE OR CELLAR 



Mushrooms are grown commercially in specially constructed 

 houses, in various old buildings made over for the purpose, and in 

 caves and mine galleries. Amateur growers ordinarily make use of 

 basements or sheds. In buildings, raised beds in tiers are generally 

 used. A space of from 6 inches to 1 foot should be left between the 

 floor and the bottom of the lowest bed. This permits the bottom 

 bed to heat better and facilitates proper cleaning of the floor. It 

 also allows space for the circulation of fumigants, which is highly 

 essential in pest control. In caves and mine galleries the mushroom 

 beds are usually built upon the floor and are referred to as "ground 

 beds." They cannot be heated or fumigated properly and are there- 

 fore very difficult to free from insect pests once these have become 

 established. Special care should be exercised to prevent the entrance 

 of pests into such places. Small crops grown by amateurs in cellars 

 and other suitable places about their homes are particularly suscepti- 

 ble to insect attack, as these places are seldom capable of being prop- 

 erly fumigated. The room where mushrooms are to be grown should 

 be separated from the rest of the building by partitions insulated 

 with sawdust or cork if possible, but in any case made as tight as 

 possible with building paper or other material. 



Between crops, the house, cellar, or other growing space should 

 be cleaned out thoroughly and the bedboards and supports scraped, 

 brushed, and washed. 



SPRAYING OF THE HOUSE 



About 2 weeks before it is filled with compost the room should be 

 sprayed to get rid of any insects, mites, or disease fungi that might 

 be left over from the preceding crop. Several sprays have been in 

 use for this purpose, including the following : 



(1) Copper sulphate, at the rate of 6 pounds to 50 gallons of water. 



(2) Calcium hypochlorite, at the rate of 10 ounces to 50 gallons 

 of water. 



(2) Mercuric chloride, at the rate of 8 standard tablets to the gallon 

 of water or one-half pound of crystals to 50 gallons of water. 



(4) Formaldehyde, at the rate of 2 gallons to 50 gallons of water. 



(5) Lime-sulphur, at the rate of 1 gallon of boiled lime-sulphur 

 to 10 gallons of water. 



The best sj)ray for mushroom houses is the boiled lime-sulphur, 

 since this spray is a fungicide and bactericide as well as an insecti- 

 cide, which most of the materials mentioned above are not. 



In caves, and in some mine galleries where there is no danger of 

 setting the wooden bracing afire, flame throwers have been success- 

 fully substituted for sprays. The beds are first cleaned out, all loose 

 spent compost is swept up, and the flame is played over the walls, 

 ceiling, and floor, raising the temperature of these high enough to 

 preclude any possibility of insect survival. 



FUMIGATION OR STERILIZATION OF THE HOUSE BEFORE FILLING 



Immediately before the compost is brought in, the house should, 

 if possible, be fumigated with either formaldehyde or sulphur, or it 



