The Washington times., 1895-03-15
FARMING In YOUR CELLAR
Mushrooms a Profitable Crop in
the House.
New Industry for Women Who Have Little
Money to Invest and Who Love
to Dig in the Ground.


ply in Americas commercial world; yet
it is a fact as regards mushrooms. Not be-
cause the facilities arc lacking; city, coun-
try and suburb offer excellent advantages
for the growing of those toothsome delica-
cies. Nor is the supply deficient by reason
of the expense of raising them, for there is
probably no palatable product of the soil
more cheaply cultivated.
The only excuse for the poverty of this
industry is that Americans have not yet
realized how much money and little work
there is in a crop. Said an expert French
grower lately: at seems strange that in
a country of seventy millions, where double
the price is paid for mushrooms over any
market, the simplest industry is unknown"
He was also astonished that city folks,
especially the poor, do not utilize the cell
lars of tenement houses. This is not a
lad idea, for the rental to poor creatures
of these unwholesome living abodes can
not possibly reap the income that plenti-
full mushroom crop would insure.
COST AND REQUIREMENTS.
This cellar industry need not be confined
to the very poor although it would mean
to them a livelihood unattainable under
any other circumstance, and multitudes
of city people who never use the cellar for
aught but the furnace or odds and ends of
rubbish might "go in for growing vege-
table that requires small care and brings a
good, unwavering price. No objection
need be raised as to the uncleanliness of the
experiment. The odor of the manure nee
essarily used in making the beds can be done
away with, and the hygienic effect Of the
earth is not in the least unfavorabe.
The cost ofsuch a W inter garden is slight
All the manure required can be bought for
% cents the cart load. The English brick
spawn, which is better than the French
flake, is secured for 10 cents or 81 pound.
| The beds yield most prolific and oontin-
uous harvest, which brings in.a return of
! 20 cents to S12 a pound. That a grower
| can always find market for his garden
| there is no shadow of doubt.
Those who do not wish to 60 into the
| business extensively need not give up the
entire cellar to the cultivation of mush-
| rooms, if the space is valuable for other
| reasons. The mistress of the house can
| experiment in boxes, that VIII be less trouble
| toher than the fern she grows at her window
| or the tin cans of greenery the tenement
| dwellers are taught by sociologists To en-
courage at their silIs Her artistic sense
may not be equally gratified, but her
! pocket-book VIII feel the result, and as for
her interest, there are few city women,
| wager, who do not yearn to dig around in
| the warm earth an dpersonally look after
a great bed of living, growing things.
PROFESSIONAL GROWERS.
For these women who would like to ex-
4 pertinent on the advantages of such lu-
crative profession, these practical hints
as to the requirements for success in the
industry may be interesting, especially
as they come from Mr. Falconer, whose
master gardeningship has made Charles
! A. Dana's mushroom caves at Dosoris, L. l.,
one of the most perfect in the States.
1t is requisite that the cellar have con-
sistent low temperature, the moisture
abetting more than hindering success.
| Mushrooms viii not thrive where there are
| draughts, the usual city cellar, whose
only ventilation is obtained through the
| stairway that leads from the basement,
is just right.
The cellar should be thoroughly cleaned
and limewashed in the late spring and
the walls washed down with kerosene
I TO kill gems of insects. In July the ma
nure should be prepared for deodorization.
1 This condition is not particularly desired
by suburban growers, for they plant away
from the living house. Two days of summer
sun beating down on a thinly laid plot OF
manure relieves the substance of any un-
pleasantness. This is a difficulty for the
city woman, but she can probably make
terms for having this done where she pur-
chases the soil.
Beds three or four feet in width should
be made about the walls, with a pathway
between. Then shelf beds can be bull
up to the height of the cellar to utilize
all available space. If the furnace is
in the cellar it should be boxed in by 6
thin brick wall, and larger body Of ma
terial be used in preparing the beds. a
heated cellar, properly arranged fur
nishes q more prolific crop, but th'
mushrooms are neither so large or sc
solid as when the air is cool and moist
A temperature of so degrees is best bu
if the cellar is colder than this the boxet
beds, covered with old bits of carpetins
or mating, generate their own heat ant
preserve favorable conditions.
Ifthe room becomes so moist thatdripping'
are continuous from the ceiling, sprcat
oiled paper over the entire place SO thu
moisture can run off the sides.
EXPENSES SMALL, PROFITS LARGE
These preparations should be Finished
at slight expense for August planting
Spawn can be bought at any reliable seet
store Be sure to get new spawn fo
planting the old will be time thrown away
Break up the spawn in small pieces, Sc
it in the surface of the manure don
bury it, for this caves it from too muc
heat, after two or three days cart
should be lightly spread over the beds
and the work is done.
The spawn planted in August bears i
November. so part of wisdom is to Pre-
vide for continuous supply from Octo
Der to May by planting each crop mont
later. After May the cellar should be Ell
tirely cleaned out, forthe heat generates to
much uncieanliness.
AS to the product of such growing, som
convincing figures are presented by pei
son who has tried this scheme, and from tw
cellars had yield of 1 700 to $500 pound
of mushroom. This was successful
but not remarkable, harvest, and on
to be obtained by any woman who bring
Judgment and enterprise into the venture
As is easily seen, it does not require eithe
capital or time. In a city where the hotel
are crying for fresh supplys daily woma
would find no difficulty in disposing at
good, cash price of every bushel her celia
would yield.
This is decidedly new tenement hous
industry, and it would be a wise woma
who experiments in this direction.
HENRY STERLING.