GATHERING AND MARKETING MUSHROOMS. 119 
merchants, who have to deal them out in quantities to 
suit customers, mushrooms should always be packed in 
one, two, three or four pound boxes or baskets, prefer¬ 
ably one pound. Mushrooms are not like potatoes or 
apples, that can be handled, remeasured, and repacked 
without damaging them. Each rehandling will certainly 
discolor and perhaps break a good many of them, ren¬ 
dering them unsalable, if not worthless. 
The utmost care in gathering and packing of mush¬ 
rooms for shipping is of primary importance. Gather 
them the moment they are in best condition, no matter 
whether or not they are to be packed and shipped the 
same day ; never let them blow open before gathering 
them ; and never cut off short stems. Long stems have 
to be shortened, but not until everything is ready to 
pack them. With a very soft hair brush dust off any 
earth that may stick to the cap of the mushroom, and 
with a harder brush or the back of a knife rub the earth 
off of the root end of the stem. Then sort the mush¬ 
rooms,—the big ones by themselves, the middle-sized by 
themselves, the small or button-sized ones by themselves, 
and pack each kind by itself. Pack very firmly without 
bruising, and so as to show the pretty caps to the best 
advantage. Never pack mushrooms more than two deep 
without using plenty of soft paper between the layers, 
and never put a heavy bulk of them into one box or bas¬ 
ket. They discolor so easily that, all things considered, 
about a pound is enough in a box, if we wish them to 
carry safely and retain their bright, fresh skin without 
tarnishing. 
Mr. Barter, of London, writes me: “The punnets 
we use for marketing our mushrooms in are the same 
that are used for strawberries or peaches. These hold 
just one pound, but it is becoming more customary now 
to have little boxes made holding from three to five 
pounds, as these are better for packing in larger cases 
for long journeys.” 
