Agaricus villaticus, a promising market mush¬ 
room, large and solid, of good flavor and 
prolific 
Mushrooms in 
Your Own Cellar 
GATHERING THIS INTERESTING 
EDIBLE PLANT OUTDOORS IS A 
TASK FOR THE STUDENT EN¬ 
THUSIAST, BUT RAISING MUSH¬ 
ROOMS FROM SELECTED SPAWN 
INDOORS REQUIRES LITTLE 
JUDGMENT AND LITTLE SPACE 
by S. L. de Fabry 
Illustrations by the author and others 
A home-grown, four-plant cluster of Agan- 
cus villaticus which weighed about two 
and a half pounds 
G ROWING mushrooms, or “champignons,” as the French 
call them, is intensely interesting, and to care for them 
and watch them grow, very fascinating 
for anyone who undertakes their cul¬ 
ture. Any member of the family can, 
with a little judgment, accomplish re¬ 
sults which will reward one well for the 
work, especially in winter, when fresh 
vegetables are scarce and expensive. 
They can be grown anywhere, pro¬ 
vided the temperature is above freez¬ 
ing and somewhere between fifty and 
sixty degrees. The cellar, not too light, 
with some moisture on the walls, is the 
ideal place, although good results can 
be obtained by growing them in small 
quantities in a barrel sawed in half, in 
tubs, or even on shelves placed against 
the wall in some room, stable or out¬ 
house, where the temperature is not per¬ 
mitted to fall low enough to injure them 
by freezing. 
A movable bed, which can be carried 
about at one's convenience, 
can easily be constructed 
by nailing one-inch boards 
together, making the bot¬ 
tom three feet long and 
two and one-quarter feet 
wide. A bed of this kind 
will have to be built up 
with earth in pyramidal 
form, about six inches wid¬ 
er at the base than on 
top, with the advantage 
that, besides the top, all 
four sides can be used to 
spawn mushrooms. These 
toy beds are largely used 
in France where champig¬ 
nons are grown for family 
use, and a pleasant surprise 
awaits the interested ama¬ 
teur here, as it is astonish¬ 
ing how many mushrooms 
can be produced in so 
small a place. 
In making the bed, the 
indispensable ingredient is 
fresh horse manure, not 
containing too much straw. The manure cannot be used as it 
comes from the stable, as the fermentation would be too great, 
giving out too much heat; it must, there¬ 
fore, be tempered down by mixing it with 
a fifth part of good garden soil. 
When this is done, the beds are made 
at once, giving now a moderate heat, re¬ 
sulting from a slow, even fermentation of 
the compost. The ground where the beds 
are made should be well drained, free of 
standing water and kept clean, and free 
from all rubbish and litter. 
Some cultural directions advise the 
use of pure manure in forming mushroom 
beds. This is not recommended to the 
amateur. It involves a great deal of labor 
in making heaps of fresh manure about 
a yard high, allowing them to heat; then 
they are taken down and rebuilt twice, 
sometimes oftener, until the manure be¬ 
comes brown, elastic and greasy. 
In the first place a large supply of 
manure is essential; then excellent judg¬ 
ment, backed by long ex¬ 
perience, is necessary to 
accomplish good results, 
otherwise the manure will 
either be burnt up or too 
cold for the purpose in 
view. 
After mixing the fresh 
manure with soil as stated, 
the beds are made twenty 
to twenty-four inches high, 
and about as wide at the 
base, and sloping on both 
sides; if they are made up 
against the wall, which is 
the easier way, the width 
of the base should be less 
than the height. 
If small beds are con¬ 
templated, to be made in 
part of a barrel, tub, or an 
easily movable bed on 
boards, they can be made 
up in the yard and brought 
into the house finished, 
thus avoiding carrying in 
the raw manure. 
A specimen of the almond-flavored mush¬ 
room. The persistent veil is a very desir¬ 
able quality. A. fabaceus 
A mushroom bed coming into bearing under suitable conditions. Notice 
the solidity of the buttons and shortness of the stems 
