The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1895-11-07
Mushroom growing.


Exchange of successful and profitable
mushroom growing by Mr.. John Scott.
florist of Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mr.. Scott grows his mushrooms on the
benches, under the benches, and in q
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
M de of boards, is covered by coating
Of cement,-this prevents the possible
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 IS degrees to 60 de-
grees, which Mr.. Scott considers most
suitable for growing mushrooms.
In an even span greenhouse, sixty
feet long, is bed under side bench
four feet wide, and under 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 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
fifty-five 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
after spawning were covered by sash
which was shaded with coating of
whiting. Mr.. Scott says it 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 it is too strong for them.
The sash keeps the beds close and pre-
vents draughts and drying out. They
are placed on 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 it is brought
to the establishment it 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 it's tendency to overhead, the
the manure. When the compost is Of
the consistency that it will expand at
ter being squeezed in the hand it is
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: it 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 if it can possibly be
Sometimes portions of them
will dry out. and these are gone over
with a watering-can having fine nose.
During the winter water at a tempera-
ture of 80 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 b
gathered is from six to seven weeks.
The mushrooms are pulled from the
beds, never cut; care being taken to re-
move the roots also, as if these are al
lowed to remain in the bed they will
decay and kill OF many of the mush-
rooms which are left, and every thread
Of mycelium which comes in contact
with them. The holes left by the re-
moval Of the roots are filed 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 q
pound. However, he finds mushroom
growing sufficiently remunerative to
warrant him continuing it. Two of the
most vital points for success are Sc
ection Of good spawn and the proper