THE CULTIVATION OF MUSHROOMS 



1377 



have stored up nourisliment and are 

 ready to develop tlie mushroom, or sporo- 

 phore, which is to bear the reproductive 

 bodies, or spores. 



Up to the period covered by the present 

 investigations the spores have seldom 

 been used in a commercial way. The 

 spawn maker has depended upon finding 

 spawn in his pastures, or in his manure 

 piles, or having it appear spontaneously, 

 as it is termed, in prepared beds; and this 

 spawn he has used in the propagation of 

 other spawn by a process which we may 

 liken, perhaps, to that of propagation by 

 cuttings. 



Commercial Mushroom Growing 



The successful cultivation of mush- 

 rooms in America has not been so gen- 

 eral as in most of the European countries. 

 It is in France and in England that the 

 mushroom industry has been best devel- 

 oped. France is, properly speaking, the 



home of the present mushroom industry. 

 Unusual Interest has been shown in the 

 United States in the growth of mush- 

 rooms within the past few years, and it 

 is to be hoped and expected that within 

 the next ten years the industry will de- 

 velop to the fullest limit of the market 

 demands. The latter will, of course, be 

 stimulated and developed by the increas- 

 ing popular appreciation of this product. 

 In some cities and towns there is already 

 a good market demand for mushrooms, 

 while in others they may be sold only 

 directly to special customers. This should 

 be borne in mind by prospective growers. 

 A glance at the figures indicating the 

 quantity of mushrooms passing through 

 the Central market of Paris will afford 

 a fair idea of the extent of this industry 

 in France. The following tables give 

 approximately the total quantity sold dur- 

 ing several successive years and the pro- 

 duction by months : 



Quantity of Mushrooms Passing Through the Central Market of Paris, 1808-1901 



YEAIiu 



Total 

 production 



Immediate 

 consumption 



Amount 

 preserved 



Mean price 

 per pound 



1898. 

 1899. 

 1900. 

 1901. 



Pounds 

 3,960,000 

 6,820,000 

 8,580,000 

 9,680,000 



Poimds 

 2,200,000 

 4,092,000 

 4,180,000 

 3,740,000 



Pounds 

 1,760,000 

 2,728,000 

 4,400,000 

 6,160,000 



Cents 

 26 

 26 

 25 

 24 



Production of Mushrooms for the Paris Market in 1901, by Months 



MONTH 



January . . 

 February . 

 March — 



April 



May 



June 



Total 

 production 



Pounds 

 902,000 

 895,400 

 941,600 

 917,400 

 985,600 

 877,800 



MONTH 



Total 

 production 



July 



August . . . . 

 September 

 October. . . 

 November. 

 December. 



Pounds 

 734,800 

 651,200 

 653,400 

 649,000 

 655,600 

 726,000 



Causes of Failure 



Success in mushroom growing depends 

 on intelligent study of conditions and on 

 experience. While many American grow- 

 ers have been successful in the produc- 

 tion of mushrooms, a much larger num- 



ber have failed. In most cases their fail- 

 ures have been due to one or more of the 

 following causes : 



1. The use of poor spawn, or of spawn 

 which has been killed by improper stor- 

 age. 



3 — 4 



