The record-union., 1892-03-16
FARM And ORCHARD.
Mushrooms are of Easy Cultiya-
tiOn.
from seed-Jersey Butter-Neatness
About the Farm = General Farm
Notes

About the Farm - General Farm
Notes.
One of the most costly dainties for the
table at this, or. indeed, at almost any
time, is the mushroom. In modern ar
fistic cooking the demand for mushrooms
far exceeds the supply, and the dealer in
these articles rarely lacks customer.
The peculiar flavor which the mushroom
possesses can not be counterfeited by the
most experienced cook, and the gour-
mand who has once tasted its delights
will hardly be perfectly satisfied with
anything in its place, if his purse allows
their frequent presence at his table. That
mushrooms are healthy food now seems
to be generally admitted, and that their
cultivation is an easy matter is hardly to
be denied. They grow plentifuHy in
many parts of New England, and famil-
iarity with their distinguishing traits is
very easily acquired in single lesson.
1t is strange that the culture Of these
fungi is not undertaken by everyone who
has little leisure and fondness for that
variety of diet which mushrooms afford.
The work of mushroom culture for the
city market is one of the easiest and most
Temuneratiye, yielding profits OF several
hundred per cent. Every farmer or
stock-keeper in the neighborhood of a
Large city like Boston would find it TO his
profit to grow mushrooms, because with
The investment of a few dimes he can add
as many dollars to his income. Practi-
cally the only expense entailed is the pur-
chase of the seed or spores, and he can
harvest his crop at something ike thirty
or forty cents per dozen through any
friendly grocer.
There are many women on country
farms who desire to add to their income,
and many suburban residents who would
be glad to engage in this work if they
understood its attractiveness and sim
pllcIty. The most remunerative time
tor mushroom sales is, of course, in the
winter, when the fungi can not be found
out of doors, but at almost any time they
command good prices, and munificently
repay for the slight trouble of their har-
vesting. In this respect the United States
Is far behind the old world, III that the
cultivation of this delicious edible is not
yet recognized here as one of the most
attractive and cleanly methods of earn
ing 'pin money" within the reach of
almost every one who lives outside a
crowded city.
The preparation of mushroom bed is
quite simple, especially on a farm. A
pile of loan and manure is left in the
open air for two or three weeks, being
turned over three or four times during
each week, and is then carried TO cell
lar. If the cellar contains a furnace. as
many cellars do, the temperature is apt
to be about fifty degrees, which is quite
sufficient for fungus growth. Otherwise
the beds are covered with straw or old
carpet to keep the plants from cold
draughts. A few boards will keep the
bed in place, and. for convenience in
picking, it is best to have each bed three
feet wide and as long as desired,
while the proper depth is from ten to
twelve inches. The exposure of the loam
to the air will have robbed it of all dis
agreeable eXhalations, and the presence
of a mushroom bed in the cellar is there
fore no menace to the health of the occu-
pants of the house above. The boarding
around the sides of the bed should rise
about eight inches above the level of the
crop. The mushroom spawn is scattered
on the top of the bed and left und isturbed
until the crop is gathered for market
During the three months of growth the
only care is to keep the temperature OF
the cellar in the neighborhood of 500 to
Coz.
Much has been said and written about
the various ways in which farmers wives
and daughters may earn ''pin money, -
but nearly all the other methods which
have been proposed apply to the warmer
months of the year rather than to the
winter. If mushroom culture is under
taken, and the beds are sown in October,
the opening months of the year will
probably show receipts which will make
the former efforts at money making seem
almost arduouS and unremunerative in
comparison. There seems to be no fear
that the mushroom market will be glut-
ted, as 1t has heretofore proven almost
impossible to supply the demand at any,
thing like rpaSOnah hl6 nrianC Tho
pertinent, therefore, appears well worth
trial upon many farms in this common
wealth.-Boston Advertiser.
ENGLISH GoosEBERRIEs.
Many of our readers have repeatedly
failed to grow the luscious English goose
berry, about which one reads and which
is one OF the most highly-prized of Eng
lands fruits. Meehdqe'S 1Honthfy gives
some excellent advice regarding its cul-
ture:
"The large English gooseberry is very
difficult TO grow on account of species
of mildew, which thriyes in the warmer
parts of our continent. 1t has been noted,
however, that this chiefly comes from the
warmth of the soil and not from the heat
of the atmosphere. When gooseberries
of this character are planted in parts of
the garden where the soil is always cool,
they thrive nearly as well as in the old
world. Some of these English varieties
are less liable to mildew than others
Those who wish TO try these should en-
deavor to get the nurSerymen to select
the harder ones for them. Where there
is not particularly shady piece of land,
the surface of the ground underneath the
gooSeberry tree may be covered with old
corn-Stalks, or litter of any kind, so as to
keep the rays of the sun from warming
the ground. Under these circumstances
the English gooseberry often escapes the
HiEaoSn hlrh trOl1hlpS har al
ing of stones underneath the bushes has
been found very effective in some in
stances. The pruning of the gooSeberry
Is a matter of some consequence. The
thin, weak shoots should be trimmed out,
leaving only the strong ones. This is
about all the art there is in it, but yet a
point of practice of much consequence
where first-class fruit is desired
JERSEY BUTTER.
have heard so much Dragging about
Jersey butter, by those having JERSEY
cows, that one might suppose there was
no other kind of butter I'll TO eat, or worth
making, writes a farmers wife TO the
-Iadidafd Ed19BeT. The fact that butter is
Jersey butter, is not always proof of. its
being good. For bad butter is bad and
no amount of Jersey talk can make it
good. A good quality of butter depends
on the process of making it, and not the
breed of the COW. We have neighbors
who make Jersey butter and take il to
the city TO sell, while L make what they
call scrub butter, and / sell it at home for
the same price they get for theirs. Some
times cannot I'LL The orders 1 have for
butter, which is proof of its good quality,
and also have customers that have taken
my butter for years. / don't pretend to
be an expert in the matter, bat can tell
Jersey butter as soon as L taste or smell
it. There is rich. rank, COW flavor that
is unpleasant to me, and / have heard
many others say the same. Now l 90