MUSHROOM PESTS AND THEIR CONTROL 



3 



One of the principal difficulties confronting the amateur who con- 

 templates growing mushrooms in small quantities in a cellar, barn, 

 or other structure is that of properly composting small quantities 

 of manure. This procedure is intimately related to the control of 

 mushroom pests. Severe infestations of flies, mites, and springtails 

 may result from the carriage of eggs and larvae into the beds with 

 the compost, unless the compost is in proper condition to go through 

 a good secondary fermentation or "heat" in the beds, to raise the 



UPPER SURFA CE 

 dJ0Tj20°F ~ 



GROUND LEVEL 



Figure 1. — Cross section through compost heap 4 feet high, showing tempera- 

 ture contours. Warm air rising at a draws in colder air at c, causing the 

 convexity at &. The extension of the hotter region toward d is probably 

 due to oxygen brought in by the fresh air. (Lambert and Davis.) 



temperature to a point where insects and mites are killed. A half 

 ton of manure of average quality is sufficient for from 35 to 45 

 square feet of mushroom bed, and it is extremely difficult to obtain 

 proper composting of less than this quantity. One of the advantages 

 of growing mushrooms on a small scale is the practicability of screen- 

 ing the small compost heaps with a cheesecloth to exclude; insects; 

 another is the ease with which a small composting floor of concrete 

 or of 2- by 12-inch planks may be constructed, thus preventing the 

 entrance of insects from the soil. 



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 on the floor and are referred to as "ground beds." They 

 cannot be heated or fumigated properly and are therefore very dif- 



