Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-12
NATURAL MUSHROOM CAvERNs.
why Not Utilize the Mammoth Cave and
Such Holes Under Ground?

''My suggestion to the effect that the Wash
ington tunnel might be probably utilized for
growing mushrooms in could be extended very
much, said DIR. Thomas Taylor. microscopes
of the Department OF Agriculture, to q STAR
writer. I'm England and Scotland the arches
beneath railway spans are commonly used by
gardeners for the purpose Of cultivating mush-
rooms, and any such spaces in engineering
structures in the United States should be made
useful for the prosecution of that industry
We have many great natural caverns in this
country, like the Mammoth Cave OF Kentucky,
which could be most profitably employed i'm a
similar manner in imitation OF the mushroom
growers of France. As ! said the other day in
my letter TO the Commissioners of the District
one cave at Merry, in France, produces 5000
pounds Of mushrooms daily. worth at retail
prices as many dollars. The industry 10 under
government supervision, and lie regularly in
spected like mines.
$50 promising an agricultural industry,
which it is possible to carry ON below ground.
is surely well worthy of announcement. Con-
sidering the vast extent OF the Mammoth Cave,
the cayerns Of Luray and other mighty cavities
in the earth - crust on this continent, there
would seem to be almost no limit to the possi-
Bile productiveness Of such spaces when utilized
for mushroom culture. The great advantage
Afforded by caves is q uniform Temperature,
with entire absence of draughts, this being a
most important and essential condition in the
propagation Of mushrooms. Why, You will
often hnd mushrooms growing under snow,
simply because snow is q poor conductor and
does not carry away the heat from the ground.
1t IL for the same reason that violets frequently
bloom beneath snow.
Zone sees at all hours on PENNSYLVANIA ave-
nue. aud other streets in Washington men going
about with big iron scoops and gathering
freshly dropped horse manure. Any mush-
room grower would sigh TO think that such ma
terlai should be wasted, Tor IL ID the very thing
with which to make mushroom beds All that
u necessary 10 TO put il in q heap, turn 1t over
every two or three days until it is free from
steam, pack it hard into q bed in the cellar or
green house, stick some fragments Of mush-
room spawn in the surface and cover il over
with an inch or two Of loan Then, in the
course OF few days, you will have a crop of
friends. Yet this sort Of clean and fresh ma
nure u very difficult aud expensive for the
mushroom growers to procure.
"Horse manure, under proper conditions,
viii itself produce mushrooms spontaneously.
Usually IL contains natural spawn, because the
animals swallow the seeds or spores of mush-
rooms In the grass which they eat People
think that il 10 . difficult art TO raise mush-
rooms, but in reality nothing is more simple.
A friend of mine, who declared that be did not
believe that he could ever grow any, now has .
building eighty feet long devoted to the pur-
pose. The crops produced in il bring In q large
income, selling for Sl.Io . pound. Another
gentleman Of my acquaintance, after making
one or two unsuccessful attempts, through ig-
norancs had given the business up, when one
day the Kitchen maid ran upstairs and informed