The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-28

From that time on artificial mushroom
raising has been carried on almost over the
entire Union with varying success. The
clumsy, thriftless and ill-informed have
and industrious ones have made plenty of
money.
Said another restaurant man to me on this
point: by. some of them are fairly coin
Ing cash out of this thing and no wonder.
They know that the inferiority of imported
mushrooms leads us to pay exorbitant prices
for all that we can get taken fresh from the
beds. We have actually TO pay ST 40 to 81 so
pound for these home grown mushrooms
just as soon as The natural season closes"
DO you get artliicially grown mushrooms
from American gardens all year round ex-
cept in August and September" / asked
another expert in mushrooms who keeps a
restaurant in Liberty street.
NO. That is the stupid and astonishing
part OF 1t. 1t almost forces one to the belief
that there is no brains employed in the do
nestle business. For all their huge pro fits
our mushroom men are timid Do you know
That Just as soon as summer comes they close
up their cellars, caves, dark houses ana
mushroom gardens aud do not start them
going again until October. They do this
year after year in spite of the small natural
crop OF the six years just past. They ought
to run them at their fullest capacity the wear
round, and If they have an oversupply in
August and September they could can them,
as they do in France"
From various other competent sources
confirmation was obtained of these state
ments. The facts generally, as | gather
them fro N all reliable Sources, are: There
are, round about New York, Boston, Phila-
delphia, Chicago and all the large cities.
several market gardeners engaged in the
artificial production. There is a general
understanding among them to shut down at
certain season, but when they are running
they get close upon 81 90 a pound for ali
they produce. A more plentiful supply
would bring down prices, and thus they
stand together to maintain what is practi-
cally monopoly.
But look at the magnitude of an industry
OF this kind ii properly developed. If YOU
allowed but pound of mushrooms each day
to every fifty or sixty persons, and that is
so low An estimate as TO be almost ridicu-
lous, 1t would represent a production of
100000 day or 365, 000. 600 pounds year,
which al 90 cents pound would mean
SIS, 900, OC0 paid to the mushroom gardeners
in year. Who will say, then, this is an in
dustry that the people should not hear about
and that should remain in the hands of
few covetous persons?
That all who read this and who are inter-
ested in the subject may have clear views
about the methods of raising | give at some
length the methods found the best by eX-
peEtS:
In Paris thousands of persons are en-
ployed in the subterranean places Here
they work the twenty-four hours through at
depth OF from go to 160 feet. the light be-
ing SO regulated and subdued as not TO inter
1ere IN any way with the growth. A tenn
perature of about 650 Fahrenheit is consid-
cred the best. Stable manure is obtained
from the tortuous passageways of these
caves, and the spawn is introduced into it,
the whole being compacted and then made
ready Tor fertiliZing purposes.