November, 19 2 0 
55 
CROPS TO GROW IN THE CELLAR 
Methods Used in the Cultivation of the Mushrooms and French Endive Under 
the Conditions of the Average Home 
MARGARET McELROY 
I T was not so man)' 
years ago that mush¬ 
room growing was re¬ 
garded as more or less of 
a mystery. There was al¬ 
ways uncertainty as to the 
result and this element 
of chance appealed to 
the amateur and profes¬ 
sional alike. In the past, 
gardeners, with a great 
faith and an optimism 
very contagious, plunged 
in and prayed for results. 
Now that is changed to 
a certain extent. The 
faith has given way to a 
wider knowledge of facts 
and an increase in the 
mushroom crop has been 
the outcome. 
In the last ten years, 
enough has been accom¬ 
plished in mushroom 
raising to demonstrate 
the fact that the general 
principles of production 
are comparatively simple. There is now no 
reason why an intelligent person should not be 
able to grow mushrooms successfully if he will 
give the same care and attention to the work 
that he gives to the cultivation of any delicate 
flower or fruit. As a matter of fact, the mush¬ 
room crop should be a more certain one than 
many others, since it can be grown only in situ¬ 
ations permitting the practical control of con¬ 
ditions. Successful outdoor mushroom culture 
is possible only in regions where a uniform tem¬ 
perature prevails for a considerable period of 
time. The reasons for the failure of mushrooms 
planted in fields and lawns are obvious. In¬ 
sufficient rain, unexpected cold, or an early 
summer drought are enough to check a plant 
sensitive to climatic con¬ 
ditions. In France and 
England, outdoor culture 
has proven fairly suc¬ 
cessful, but nowhere in 
the world can the mush¬ 
room grown in the open 
compete successfully 
with those grown in¬ 
doors. 
Where Mushrooms May 
Be Grown 
Mushrooms may be 
grown in outbuildings, 
cellars, caves, sheds or 
in the space under the 
benches in a greenhouse. 
The important thing is 
to have a place that per¬ 
mits the regulation of 
moisture, temperature 
and ventilation. If a 
house is specially built, 
see that there is air space 
in the walls to prevent 
“sweating” and the drip 
which accompanies this. 
The most important of 
these is the compost. 
Stable manure has been 
found to be the only 
really satisfactory com¬ 
post in which to grow 
mushrooms. This can be 
mixed with straw or 
shavings to form a good 
bedding material and 
when sufficient has been 
gathered, it should be 
slightly sprinkled and 
somewhat packed. In a 
few days the temperature 
will rise to perhaps 120° 
to 140° F. which is in¬ 
dicative of active fer¬ 
mentation. The heap 
should then be turned 
daily to prevent burning 
and should be kept moist 
throughout. The total 
time required for fer¬ 
mentation in summer is 
from eighteen to twenty 
days. A thermometer 
should be used to test the heat of the compost 
and when it gets down to about 90° F., it is 
ready to be made into beds. 
The kind of bed generally used in this coun¬ 
try is a flat bed from 6" to 8" deep and from 
2 Yd to 4' wide. When the compost has reached 
90° it should be firmed over night and then the 
heat tested. If the glass runs over 110° the 
compost should be loosened up to allow more 
heat to escape. If, however, the mercury re¬ 
mains nearly stationary the compost can then 
be placed in the beds to a depth of 12" and 
pounded firm. Within a few days the tem¬ 
perature will begin to fall and the bed may 
be spawned at 70° to 75° F. Within a week 
the temperature should fall to the normal fig¬ 
ure for mushroom grow¬ 
ing, about 54° F. 
Spawn 
The development and 
growth of the mycelium 
—the threadlike growth 
that is characteristic of 
most fungi — yields a 
“spawn” which is mere¬ 
ly the vegetative stage of 
the fungus. Be sure that 
the spawn you get is 
fresh. Old spawn con¬ 
tains the same amount of 
mycelium as the new and 
they are about the same 
in appearance. But the 
mycelium of the older 
spawn has less vitality, 
and fresh, live spawn is 
needed to insure good 
results. It is necessary 
to be more careful in the 
purchase of spawn than 
of field or garden seeds. 
The spawn, which 
(Continued on page 70) 
French endive is comparatively simple to grow for a winter crop. Taken out of the 
garden in autumn and properly cared for in the cellar, it will yield all winter long 
The height of the ceiling of the mushroom 
house depends on the number of tiers of beds. 
When only the floor is used for planting, the 
ceiling should be low, as the air space above 
the bed is not advantageous for the control of 
both heat and moisture. The ventilation 
should be sufficient for a constant but slight 
drying of the beds from day to day, necessi¬ 
tating an occasional sprinkling. In stagnant 
air the mushrooms are apt to become long¬ 
stemmed with relatively small caps. 
The Compost 
The success of mushroom raising depends 
on three things—fresh spawn, the right kind 
of compost and proper climatic conditions. 
There is something strangely fascinating about growing mushrooms. For market they 
are groivn in caves and specially built underground houses 
