Chapter I: Preface

Mushrooms and their extensive and profitable culture should concern every one. For home consumption they are a healthful and grateful food, and for market, when successfully grown, they become a most profitable crop. We can have in America the best market in the world for fresh mushrooms; the demand for them is increasing, and the supply has always been inadequate. The price for them here is more than double that paid in any other country, and we have no fear of foreign competition, for all attempts, so far, to import fresh mushrooms from Europe have been unsuccessful.

In the most prosperous and progressive of all countries, with a population of nearly seventy millions of people alert to every profitable, legitimate business, mushroom-growing, one of the simplest and most remunerative of industries, is almost unknown. The market grower already engaged in growing mushrooms appreciates his situation and zealously guards his methods of cultivation from the public. This only incites interest and inquisitiveness, and the people are becoming alive to the fact that there is money in mushrooms and an earnest demand has been created for information about growing them.

The raising of mushrooms is within the reach of nearly every one. Good materials to work with and careful attention to all practical details should give good returns. The industry is one in which women and children can take part as well as men. It furnishes indoor employment in winter, and there is very little hard labor attached to it, while it can be made subsidiary to almost any other business, and even a recreation as well as a source of profit.

In this book the endeavor has been, even at the risk of repetition, to make the best methods as plain as possible. The facts herein presented are the results of my own practical experience and observation, together with those obtained by extensive reading, travel and correspondence.

To Mr. Charles A. Dana, the proprietor of the Dosoris mushroom cellars and estate, I am greatly indebted for opportunities to prepare this book. For the past eight years everything has been unstintedly placed at my disposal by him to grow mushrooms in every way I wished, and to experiment to my heart's content.

To Mr. William Robinson, editor of _The Garden_, London, I am especially indebted for many courtesies--permission to quote from _The Garden_, "Parks and Gardens of Paris," and his other works, and to illustrate the chapters in this book on Mushroom-growing in the London market gardens and the Paris caves, with the original beautiful plates from his own books.

The recipes given in the chapter on Cooking Mushrooms, except those prepared for this work by Mrs. Ammersley, although based on the ones given by Mr. Robinson, have been considerably modified by me and repeatedly used in my own family.

My thanks are also due to Mr. John F. Barter, of London, the largest grower of mushrooms in England, for information given me regarding his system of cultivation; to Mr. John G. Gardner, of Jobstown, N. J., one of the most noted growers for market in this country, for facilities allowed me to examine his method of raising mushrooms; and to Messrs. A. H. Withington, Samuel Henshaw, George Grant, John Cullen, and other successful growers for assistance kindly rendered.

WILLIAM FALCONER.

DOSORIS, L. I., 1891.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.--THOSE WHO SHOULD GROW MUSHROOMS 9

Market Gardeners-- Florists-- Private Gardeners-- Village
People and Suburban Residents-- Farmers.

CHAPTER II.--GROWING MUSHROOMS IN CELLARS 15

Underground Cellars-- In Dwelling House-- Mr. Gardner's
Method-- Mr. Denton's Method-- Mr. Van Siclen's Method-- The
Dosoris Mushroom Cellar.

CHAPTER III.--GROWING MUSHROOMS IN MUSHROOM HOUSES 34

Building the House-- Mrs. Osborne's Mushroom House-- Interior
Arrangement of Mushroom Houses-- Mr. Samuel Henshaw's Mushroom
House.

CHAPTER IV.--GROWING MUSHROOMS IN SHEDS 39

The Temperature of Interior of the Bed-- Shelf Beds-- The Use
of the Term Shed.

CHAPTER V.--GROWING MUSHROOMS IN GREENHOUSES 41

Cool Greenhouses-- On Greenhouse Benches-- In Frames in the
Greenhouses-- Orchard Houses-- Under Greenhouse Benches--
Among Other Plants on Greenhouse Benches-- Growing Mushrooms
in Rose Houses-- Drip from the Benches-- Ammonia Arising.

CHAPTER VI.--GROWING MUSHROOMS IN THE FIELDS 54

Mushrooms often appear Spontaneously-- Wild Mushrooms-- Mr.
Henshaw's Plan-- Brick Spawn in Pastures.

CHAPTER VII.--MANURE FOR MUSHROOM BEDS 57

Horse Manure-- Fresher the Better-- Manure of Mules-- Cellar
Manure-- City Stable Manure-- Baled Manure-- Cow Manure--
German Peat Moss Stable Manure for Mushroom Beds-- Sawdust
Stable Manure for Mushroom Beds-- Tree Leaves-- Spent Hops.

CHAPTER VIII.--PREPARATION OF THE MANURE 69

Preparing out of Doors-- Warm Sunshine-- Fire-fang-- Guard
Against Over Moistening-- The Proper Condition of the Manure--
Loam and Manure Mixed.

CHAPTER IX.--MAKING UP THE MUSHROOM BEDS 74

The Thickness of the Beds-- Shape of the Beds-- Bottom-heat
Thermometers-- The Proper Temperature-- Too High
Temperature-- Keep the House at 55°.

CHAPTER X.--MUSHROOM SPAWN 78

What is Mushroom Spawn?-- The Mushroom Plant-- Spawn Obtained
at any Seed Store-- Imported from Europe-- The Great
Mushroom-growing Center of the Country-- English Spawn--
Mill-track Mushroom Spawn-- Flake or French Spawn-- Virgin
Spawn-- How to Keep Spawn-- New Versus Old Spawn-- How to
Distinguish Good from Poor Spawn-- American-made Spawn-- How to
make Brick Spawn-- How to make French (flake) Spawn-- Making
French Virgin Spawn-- A Second Method-- Third Method-- Relative
Merits of Flake and Brick Spawn.

CHAPTER XI.--SPAWNING THE BEDS 96

Preparing the Spawn-- Steeped Spawn-- Flake Spawn--
Transplanting Working Spawn.

CHAPTER XII.--LOAM FOR THE BEDS 100

Cavities in the Surface of Beds-- The Best Kind of Loam--
Common Loam-- Ordinary Garden Soil-- Roadside Dirt-- Sandy
Soil-- Peat Soil or Swamp Muck-- Heavy, Clayey Loam-- Loam
Containing Old Manure.

CHAPTER XIII.--EARTHING OVER THE BEDS 103

Loam is Indispensable-- The Best Soil-- Proper Time to Case
Beds-- Inserting the Spawn-- Sifting the Soil-- Firming the
Soil-- Green Sods.

CHAPTER XIV.--TOPDRESSING WITH LOAM 107

Beds that are in Full Bearing-- Filling up the Holes-- Firming
the Dressing to the Bed-- Beds in which Black Spot has
Appeared.

CHAPTER XV.--THE PROPER TEMPERATURE 109

Covering the Beds with Hay-- A High Temperature-- In a
Temperature of 50°-- In a Temperature of 55°-- Boxing Over the
Bed.

CHAPTER XVI.--WATERING MUSHROOM BEDS 111

Artificially Heated Mushroom Houses-- Sprinkling Water over
Mulching-- Watering Pots-- Manure Water-- Preparing Manure
Water-- Common Salt-- Sprinkling the Floors-- Houses Heated by
Smoke Flues-- Manure Steam for Moistening the Atmosphere.

CHAPTER XVII.--GATHERING AND MARKETING MUSHROOMS 115

When Mushrooms are Fit to Pick-- Picking-- The Advantages of
Pulling over Cutting-- Pulled Mushrooms-- Gathering Field or
Wild Mushrooms-- Marketing Mushrooms.

CHAPTER XVIII.--RE-INVIGORATING OLD BEDS 120

Worn Out Beds-- Spurts of Increased Fertility-- A Spent
Mushroom Bed-- Living Spawn.

CHAPTER XIX.--INSECT AND OTHER ENEMIES 122

Maggots-- Black Spot-- Manure Flies-- Slugs-- "Bullet" or
"Shot" Holes-- Wood Lice-- Mites-- Mice and Rats-- Toads--
Fogging Off-- Flock-- Cleaning the Mushroom Houses.

CHAPTER XX.--GROWING MUSHROOMS IN RIDGES OUT OF DOORS
AROUND LONDON 136

Ridges in the Open Field-- Bed Making-- Manure Obtained from
City Stables-- The Site for Beds-- Planting the Spawn--
Drenching Rains-- Russia Mats-- The First Beds-- The First
Cutting-- Watering.

CHAPTER XXI.--MUSHROOM GROWING IN THE PARIS CAVES 143

Caves and Subterranean Passages-- The Manure Used--
Preparation of the Manure-- Making the Beds-- The Spawn--
Stratifying the Spawn-- Chips and Powder of Stone-- Earthing
Over the Beds-- Temperature in High-roofed Caves-- When the
Mushrooms are Gathered-- Proper Ventilation.