The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-02-01


as to methods of home culture.
Owing to the increased interest in
mushrooms G. F. Atkinson and X.
Shore, of the New York Cornell sta
ton, made a study of methods of
mushroom culture on a small scale
and have recently reported the results
of this work. The main purpose OF
the work was to find out by actual
trial what success might be expected
by the beginner in growing mush-
rooms where no special houses and
no elaborate preparations were made
for their culture. Based on this work
the following cultural directions are
given:
Cellars or basement rooms where
the temperature in the winter does
not go below 55 degrees or does not
rise above 65 degrees are suitable
places for growing mushrooms. 1t is
not advisable to make them under the
| living part of the house, since the
| odor of the manure will fill the house
| They can also be grown in stables
which are not too cold in the winter.
Beds can be prepared on the
cellar or basement floor by using the
wall for one side of the bed. board
or plank I foot to Is inches in width
can then be stood on edge 3 to
| feet from the basement wall and held
in position by the necessary upright
scantlings and supported at intervals
to hold the material in position. In
| this way a box of the desired width
and length can be made, the floor OF
the basement or cellar serving as the
bottom. If more space is desired, tiers
of beds can be made; that is, 2 or
or 4 beds, one above the other against
the cellar wall. This is common
practice. Crosspieces from the up
rights can be nailed on, upon which
the floor of the upper beds can be
laid These should be made of lum-
Der at least / inch in thickness. A
space of about 20 to "a inches should
be left between the top of one bed
and the bottom of the one directly
above it. All these places should have
some ventilation, but there should not
be air currents, and care should be
taken to make the rooms in which the
mushrooms are planted clean and
sweet in order to avoid as far as pos
sible any conditions which would en-
| courage insects and other enemies OF
mushrooms.
The best soil for mushrooms is
that made from horse manure from
well-bedded stables. While some straw
is desirable, any large percentage is
Objectionable and should be removed.
The manure is cured by putting it I'M
der cover in piles to feet deep
and of any length and width. These
piles soon begin to ferment and heat.
To prevent it's becoming too hot, the
manure must be forked over and made
into a new pile. This is done by be-
ginning at one end, turning the ma
nure over, shaking it slightly as it
is turned into the new pile. 1t may
feel to the hand quite hot, but as
long as it does not turn white or
get too dry the heating will not harm
it. Usually after the manure is we'll
heated, turning once in or days
will answer, but sometimes it is neces-
sary to turn every day.
If the manure becomes too dry,
sufficient water may be sprinkled on
to make it moist but not wet. 1t usu-
ally requires 10 to Is or Is days to
cure, but should not be put in the
beds or boxes until the temperature
has gone down to 100 degrees F.
In the preparation of the bed
layer of the coarse, more strawy por-
ton of the manure is first put on the
bottom and then thoroughly tramped
or pounded down. Succeeding layers
are then put on and each packed down
until the bed is 10 to IL or IA inches
thick. For a few days after the bed
| is made, the temperature is likely to
increase, after which it will gradu-
ally cool off. A thermometer should
be kept in the bed several inches be-
low the surface, and when the temper
allure falls to 70 or rs degrees F. the
mushroom spawn may be planted.