The record-union., 1896-06-28
ALL ABOUT MUSHROOMS.
Deeply Interesting Description Of q
Wonderful Industry.
Cultivated in Deep. Dark Caves-Full
Instructions for Growing. Dry
ing and Preserving.

ancient history in France. The people
are so fond of them, they are so nutri-
tious, and their raising is so profitable
that very few Frenchmen are SO
poor that they cannot have their be-
loved vegetable.
The mushroom is a mystery Nobody
knows much about it, but verybody In
France knows that it can be made to
grow in any quantity desired.
The variety of mushrooms is infinite.
Some are SO small that they cannot be
seen by the naked eye, and some are
SO large that they are virtually veget-
able beefstake. These latter are the
"cepes."
Mushrooms can be raised in any eli
mate and at all seasons of the year.
They are mystery, because some va
rieties have distinctly defined sexual
characteristics, and some others. appar-
emily, have none at all; some will grow
only out of decaying animal or veget-
able matter, while others thrive only as
parasites of living plants, which they
eventually destroy
When the French began to make
beds for their melons, they noticed that
large numbers of mushrooms would
These were as profitable as the melons,
If not more SO, but they could not be
certain of a crop, and not until Heurtot
and Legrin investigated the matter did
they know whether a mushroom would
appear These two scientists, followed
by Benaudot, Brique, Gerard, Barre,
BURN, and others spent long and labori-
Gus years in experimenting, and at
length discovered part of the mush-
rooms secret, i. e., the conditions under
which it pleased the vegetable sphynx
to grow. The result is a consumption
Of mushrooms in France which is SIM
ply tremendous, and the consequent in
creased happiness and profit of every
ore
The mushroom loves a place that is
cool, damp and dark, or, at least, it
does not seek the sunshine, and light
has a decided effect upon it's color. If
the sunlight reaches it, it will be reddish
brown-that is, it's hood or cap, but
allowed to grow in the darkness, espe-
cia1ly in caves, it will be white, fat and
doubly nutritious. 1t is for this reason
that the mushroom is almost invaria bly,
cultivated in subterranean excavations
throughout France.
In the Department of the Seine alone
there are over 5000 caves, and in them
live about 800 people, "champignon-
nistes," who rarely see the daylight.
The descent into these caves is by way
Of rope ladders. The manure, which is
mixed with the damp earth in making
the beds for the spawn" is simply
dumped down the mouths of the cav
erns. The galleries lead in all direc-
tions and are usually from about 267
to 9.S4 feet high. But unless the cell
ing is at least 4 92 feet high the work Of
spreading the manure is difficult and
very fatiguing. Sometimes the ceilings
are so low that the men can only work
in a keeling posture, and, as they must
carry miners lamps in their caps, are
almost stifled. There is absolutely no
necessity of anything Of this sort, and
it is, indeed, poor economy.
These caves are generally exhausted
stone quarries. They rent for from
SOS 95 to $115 so per annum, according
to extent, hight Of ceiling, ventilation,
ETC., but they must be provided against
any sudden change of temperature
Moreover it is highly important that
the air currents move invariably in the
same direction. This should be from
north to south, and never more than
slightly appreciable. The temperature
should be about 48 degrees Fahrenheit
to produce the best results
MAKING THE BEDS.
The success of the mushroom grower
depends entirely upon what have said
above, and upon the quality of the ma
iro HI h1I 20
stables from which to take his manure
is matter of vital Importance to the
"champignonniste." Those horses which
are hard worked, but well fed, produce
the best manure for beds, but their food
must be rather of the dry kind-oats,
hay, etc.-than otherwise. The Paris
omnibus horses produce the best; their
droppings being strongly impregnated
with azote acid, ammonia and phospho-
rus, naturally tend to ready fermenta- :
ton. The dung of animals nourished on
green vegetable matter is utterly worth
less for mushroom raising, being too
watery; that of carriage horses is not
much better Only the droppings of
heavy draft horses should be used.
1t may be interesting to mushroom
growers to know what the best manure
costs in France. 1t is as follows: Heavy
omnibus horse manure. 40 cents per
DAY per head; small cab-horse manure,
5 4-5 cents; merchants parcel delivery
horse manure, 2 2-5 cents. Economy
IL the quality of the manure for the beds
simply means ruin to the mushroom
grower.
The making of the beds is very i'm
portant matter; it is of even greater
Importance, if possible. than the tenn
perature and air currents.
A very dry and clean space near the
mouth of the cave should be selected
q place where water can be readily OBJ
tanned The requisite quantity of ma
nure having been dumped here, it should
be allowed to lie for several days. after
which the beds should be spread. A
cubic meter or 35.3i5 cubic feet of ma
nure spread i'm this manner gives about
the length of 32.S1 feet, and If it be
found desirable to place the manure in
little piles, one wheelbarrowful is
enough for each. The smallest beds
made in France are 16.4 feet long, 13. II
wide. and 267 feet high. In making
these beds the manure must be thor
oughly worked. ANY matter foreign to
the manure should be thrown aside.
The beds at first are about 3.2S feet
high, but the beating and pressing into
form finally gives them a hight of 0.S
meter When this hight is reached they
should be "combed' with a rake so that
every particle of foreign matter may be
removed. Then they should not be dis
turbed in any way for at least six or
seven days.
In working the manure, If it be found
too dry to mix well it should be wa
tered, using an ordinary sprinkler. 1t
will not do to turn hose on 1t.