Vol. LIX. No. 2643. 
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 22, 1900. 
81 PER YEAR. 
MUSHROOMS GROWN IN A LIME CAVE. 
FACTS ABOUT THE CROP. 
It Loves Darkness Rather Than Light. 
UNDER GROUND.—During the last few years the 
mushroom industry has assumed vast proportions. 
The demand for this edible fungus has more than 
kept pace with the increased supply, and a ready 
market can be found for much more than is now pro¬ 
duced. The New York Mushroom Company, of 
Akron, N. Y., last year marketed 15,000 pounds of 
mushrooms. This company is the largest concern of 
the kind in this country, owing to the excellent facili¬ 
ties which it has for producing a crop at all seasons. 
Large quantities of limestone are mined at Akron, 
and this firm secured control of an abandoned mine 
covering 18 acres. It varies in width from 15 to 50 
feet, and the tunnels are about 12 feet high, and may 
be readily entered from the level through an opening 
in the side of a cliff, into which the mine is cut. As 
these tunnels are 45 feet below the surface of the 
earth, the temperature remains at about 55 degrees 
Fahrenheit throughout 
the year, and overcomes 
the difficulties which 
prevent the production 
of mushrooms in the 
Summer. Fig. 231 shows 
a bed in this mine. 
A WINTER CROP.— 
Mushrooms are proper¬ 
ly a Winter crop, and 
are unable to withstand 
the heat of Summer. 
To be sure, they are 
found in their wild state 
in hot weather, but 
their artificial propaga¬ 
tion is prevented by the 
heat and the insect 
pests which assail them. 
The nature of the mush - 
room is understood by 
but few, many suppos¬ 
ing that, deriving its 
nourishment from the 
air alone, it springs 
from the ground with¬ 
out roots of any kind. 
This is not true, for the 
fungus has a system of 
roots known as myceli¬ 
um or spawn, which 
feed it. and render 
its remarkably rapid 
growth possible. This spawn is a kind of mold com¬ 
posed of white thread-like roots which permeate the 
ground, and from the joints of which the mushrooms 
spring. The growth of mushrooms is so rapid that 
when the spawn is thriving a crop of mushrooms may 
be picked each morning. 
HOW STARTED.—Virgin spawn, or mycelium in its 
wild state, is found in very rich ground and in piles 
of decaying manure. If this be taken, and with the 
substance containing it be well dried, it will keep for 
months, and may be used in “spawning” beds for 
mushrooms. Most of the spawn in this country is im¬ 
ported from England or France, where the “edible 
toadstool” is in most common use. English spawn is 
pressed into bricks weighing about iy 2 pound each, 
while the French comes in loose flaky horse manure, 
packed in boxes of 3% pounds each. The English 
spawn is better suited for use for the beginner. In 
the Akron plant, beds are constructed 16 feet long, 
four feet wide, and 10 inches high. A frame of boards 
is first made to hold the bed in shape, and the bed is 
then prepareu. Horse manure is bought at the Buffalo 
stockyards for $25 a carload. It la loaded on to 
dump-carts, and drawn into the mine near the place 
where tne beds are to be made. This manure is piled 
four feet high, and is turned over five or six times at 
intervals of a couple of days, until the temperature is 
down to 120 degrees F. If the manure is very dry, 
it is moistened so that it may heat. 
HOW CULTIVATED.—The frames are then filled 
with this manure, which is well trampled, to within 
an inch of the top. Upon this is placed common 
sandy loam, enough to make the bed level full when 
well packed. When the temperature of the soil is 
nearly the same as that of the hand, or 100 degrees 
Fahrenheit, the bed may be spawned. Pieces of 
spawn about 2% inches square are placed in holes 
made 10 inches apart in the soil, and are covered 
with earth, after which the whole bed is leveled and 
left undisturbed. Sometimes a little water is sprinkled 
over the surface, but not unless the soil is very dry. 
When the spawn has completely occupied the soil, 
and the mushrooms are just beginning to spring up, 
the soil may be removed and used to spawn other 
beds. In this manner the Akron Company raises its 
own spawn, but it is better for a beginner not to at¬ 
tempt so difficult a task. In about three weeks the 
mushrooms begin to start, after which the crop fol¬ 
lows very rapidly. At times the beds are nearly cov¬ 
ered with mushrooms, sometimes in clus'ters of from 
25 to 50. These may be picked one morning, and have 
the place occupied by others, within 24 hours. At 
times 700 beds are planted, but generally only about 
100 are in bearing. Three men are engaged in pick¬ 
ing the product of these beds, and are kept busy pick¬ 
ing in the forenoon and packing for shipment in the 
afternoon. The mushroom is not cut off, but given a 
gentle twist, thus leaving no butts in the ground, to 
decay and injure the mycelium. 
THE PRODUCT.—The mushrooms are sorted, and 
those too large, old or wormy are discarded. These, 
however, are few, owing to the great attention paid to 
their culture and picking. Single mushrooms eight 
inches in diameter are not uncommon. Common 
splint grape baskets about 10 inches long are used as 
shipping packages, and when closely packed, hold 
three pounds. The stems are closely packed, and the 
top layer faced with the tops of the mushrooms up¬ 
ward. The basket is covered with paper, and daily 
shipments are made to New York and Boston. The 
price in the Winter ranges from 25 to 50 cents per 
pound, and in Summer remains at about 90 cents, or 
more than five cents per ounce. Tight baskets or 
boxes cannot be used for shipping packages, because 
mushrooms require air. A bed remains in bearing for 
several weeks, and when it has become exhausted, it 
is removed, and its place filled with another. Mush¬ 
rooms may be successfully grown in cellars, tunnels, 
or other warm places, from September until April, 
when their culture is prevented by insects. The space 
beneath the tables in hothouses has been utilized for 
growing mushrooms, with excellent results. 
IN CELLARS.—The cellar in which mushrooms 
are to be raised should be dry. A part of the cellar 
may be partitioned off from the rest, that its tempera¬ 
ture may be the more easily regulated, and for the 
same purpose the windows of the mushroom cellar 
should be darkened. The depth of the manure in the 
beds depends upon the temperature of the cellar. 
Unless a steady heat can be maintained the manure 
should be at least one 
foot deep to furnish 
heat. If the cellar is 
very cold, the beds 
should be covered on 
all sides, and should be 
made quite deep. Eng¬ 
lish, or brick spawn, 
may be obtained from 
most seedsmen at about 
25 cents per brick, and 
from it mushrooms may 
very easily be grown. 
It is well worth a little 
work and some slight 
expense to be able to 
enjoy a fine delicacy at 
a time when other veg¬ 
etables are scarce. 
HOW COOKED.—This 
delicious and succulent 
vegetable may be pre¬ 
pared for the table in a 
number of ways, rules 
for which may be found 
in any good cook book 
A few methods of cook¬ 
ing this expensive fun¬ 
gus, from the Colum¬ 
bia Cook Book, all of 
which have been found 
to be good, are as fol¬ 
lows: 
Broiled Mushrooms.—For this choose the largest 
mushrooms you can get. Peel, cut off the stalks close 
to the top, baste them well with melted butter, dust 
lightly with salt and pepper, and let them stand a 
half hour. Then place them in a wire broiler, close 
the broiler very carefully so as not to break them, 
broil them over a clear fire, first on one side and then 
on the other. Open the broiler, remove them care¬ 
fully with a spoon, place them on small squares of 
buttered toast, pour on a little melted butter, and 
serve. 
Baked Mushrooms.—Place some large flat ones 
nicely cleaned and trimmed on thin slices of well- 
buttered toast, putting a little nudgel of butter in 
each, as also a snuff of pepper and salt; lay them on 
a baking tray, and cover them carefully. Let them 
bake for 15 or 20 minutes. 
Stewed Mushrooms.—Time, 21 minutes. Small 
mushrooms, salt to taste, a little butter rolled in flour, 
two tablespoonfuls of cream or yolk of one egg. Wipe 
mushroom clean and white with a wet flannel; put 
them in a stewpan with a little water, and let them 
stew very gently for a quarter of an hour. Add salt 
MUSHROOM BEDS IN AN OLD LIMESTONE MINE. Fig. 231. 
