Rocky Ford enterprise., 1895-11-14
Mushroom 8rowInR,

An account Is given by the Florists
Exchange of successful and profitable
mushroom growing by Mr.. John Scott,
a florist of Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mr.. Scott grows his mushrooms on the
benches. under the benches. and in a
cellar, having in all about $500 square
feet set apart for the purpose. One bed
Of width of eight feet is under the
center bench of an ordinary three
quarter span greenhouse, eighty-seven
feet long and twenty feet wide. Here
the bed Is formed on the ground; board
Ing extends from the edge of the bench
on each side right down to the floor.
NO heating pipes are nearer this bed
than those which run under the side
benches Of the greenhouse. The bot
tom OF this center bench, which is
made of boards, is covered by a coating
OF cement.-this prevents the possibil-
ity Of drip on the mushroom bed.
Plants are raised on this bench which
the temperature of the house will suit,
1t being kept from 55 degrees to 60 de-
grees. which Mr.. Scott considers most
suitable for growing mushrooms.
In an even span greenhouse, sixty
feet long, is a bed under side bench
four feet wide, and under a side bench
Of another even-span house, ninety
two feet long, is another bed, the heat
Ing pipes in both cases being boarded
of. The hot water system of heating
Is used.
Another place which Mr.. Scott has
utilized for mushroom culture is a cor
ridor which extends the entire width
OF the houses. some ia feet Benches
were erected in this corridor, which has
a gradual incline toward the entrance.
At the lower half mushrooms were
grown on the benches to a distance of
ffty-f1ve feet. the beds extending over
one of the two four-inch pipes which
supply heat for this part of the estab-
lishment. the bench being about two
feet above the pipes. These beds were
prepared in the ordinary manner and
after spawning were covered by sash
which was shaded with a coating Of
whiting. Mr.. Scott says 1t is imma-
terial how near the glass the beds are.
In the winter the mushrooms will
stand all the light available, but to-
wards spring 1t is too strong for them.
The sash keeps the beds close and pre-
vents draughts and drying out. They
are placed on a gentle slant SO as TO
carry of any condensed moisture
which may gather on them. In this
corridor the temperature last winter
was sometimes down as low as forty
five degrees, yet good crop Of mush
rooms was picked from the bed. In
the remaining sixty feet Of the corridor
beds were placed under the bench.
Towering plants being grown on the
bench itself.
Mr.. Scott obtains his supply Of horse
manure from nearby livery stables on
very favorable terms. AS 1t is brought
to the establishment 1t Is piled in a
shed and then mixed with about one
fourth loan and turned every second
day. This gentleman believes in pack
ing his beds, and the manure with this
quality Of loan in it renders it more
available for that purpose, besides OBJ
waiting its tendency to overhead. the
loan also absorbing the ammonia In
the manure. When the compost Is OF
the consistency that 1t will expand af-
ter being squeezed in the hand it IL
ready for use. The beds are made up
to a depth of seven inches, and
spawned when the temperature falls to
80 degrees. After spawning the beds
are covered with about two inches OF
loan. Mr.. Scott begins the formation
Of his beds about the first week in Oc-
tober, and keeps on preparing them in
succession as often as he can get the
manure, right along until March. Thus
he has mushrooms from Thanksgiving
to the first week in June.
The spawn used is the English Mill
track; 1t is broken into pieces Of about
two inches square and placed in the
beds eight or nine inches apart, to
depth Of two or three inches. The
beds are never watered until the mush-
rooms appear II 1t can possibly be
avoided. Sometimes portions of them
will dry out, and these are gone over
with a watering-can having a fine nose.
During the winter water at a tempera-
ture of 81. degrees to 80 degrees is used.
and in May and June water Is applied
with hose.
Mr.. Scott says he has picked mush-
rooms twenty-five days after spawning;
but the usual time when crop can be
gathered Is from six to seven weeks,
The mushrooms are pulled from the
beds, never cut; care being taken 10 re-
move the roots also. as II these aye al
lowed to remain in the bed they will
decay and kill of many Of the push-
rooms which are left, and every thread
cf mycelium which comes in contact
with them. The holes left by the re-
xooval of the roots are filled up With
soil.
Mr.. Scott has never calculated the
yield to a square foot. Sometimes he
has gathered individual specimens
which weighed three-quarters Of a
pound. However, he finds mush, Dom
growing sufficiently remunerative to
warrant him continuing 1t. Two OF the
most vital points for success are se-
lection Of good spawn and the proper
Of the manure. These as
su sed, the remaining work Is easy.
Clay Soils-These are called "hea Jy"
soils, evidently because they are hard
to work, Just as sandy soils are called
light, because theey are easy to wo:k
Such soils frequently need to be
drained. They are good retainers Of
moisture. They are very strong soi:s.
that is, have a natural wealth of mia-
eral matter. and retain mapures AL