Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-03-09
GROWING MUSHROOMS.
Woman with Small Plat of Ground Can
Earn Money-Many Mushroom
Clubs Started.

"A woman with small plot of
ground can earn hundreds of dollars a
year" said successful mushroom
grower recently. 'All she needs is to
grow good mushrooms, affiliate herself
with some mushroom club and find mar
ket for her wares.
Something has been done near our
cities in this direction and of late many
mushroom clubs have been started in
this country for the purpose of separat-
ing the poisonous from the edible vari-
cites The members of the mushroom
clubs are naturally enthusiasts on the
subject and there are those who assert
that the cultivation of this fungus will
eventually have an important bearing on
the worlds food supply. 1t is we'll
known fact that pound of mushrooms
is equal to many pounds OF meat, and if
the world could only become conversant
with the edible species they would form
a more important part than now in our
diet, for we would realize more clearly
that for home consumption they are a
healthful and grateful food and when
successfully grown they are often worth
double the original investment.
Their use for food is perfectly COM
patible with the preservation of excel
lent health, and in Russia, Germany
and Italy th Y furnish the peasants and
working classes with a food that takes
the place OF meat.
The French guilty ate this food in cell
lars as well as caves, but they can be
grown in all kinds of greenhouses, and
even boxes and frames which can be OBJ
tanned at very little expense will hold
enough for domestic use. Spring and
autumn are the best seasons, and they
are. usually in full bearing at the end
of four weeks.
The cellar of a dwelling house is a
capital place for these beds and in the
case of those who wish to grow only
few a part of the room can be parti-
toned off alongside the wall to protect
it from drafts. This has been known to
do admirably, especially if the tempera-
ture OF the cellar varies from so to 80
degrees Fahrenheit
One producer is said to market 5000
pounds yearly from the cellar and con-
tends success is due to absolute cleanli-
ness and coats of lime which are fire.
quently given the cellar walls. Such
beds i'll a dwelling house may seem I'M
sanitary but when rightly handled and
thoroughly prepared before being started
they emit no odor.
No one can grow mushrooms more
successfully than the wife of the farmer,
vet strange to say she pays little atten-
ton to this branch of the business. Lit
tie skilled labor is necessary and after
planting all the care consists in main
tanning an even temperature and gather
ing the crops.
There is nothing arduous about it and
the spawn or brick can be obtained from
any scotsman. There used to be a mis-
taken idea that skill was required to
conduct the industry with success, but
recently this has been exploded, and the
largest growers utilize space that would
otherwise be idle. The mushroom clubs
are doing all in their power to encour-
age this, besides collecting every speci-
men with view to cataloguing as many
edible varieties as possible.
The craze has even reached the for
lists. who have planted hundreds of
square yards under their greenhouse
benches, and in this way first utilize the
loan needed in their florists work.
Chicken raisers are becoming more in
terested and see in the cultivation
good winter business. Near San Fran
cisco is a canning factory which is used
to put up mushrooms grown in sheds
filled with beds. All the work is done
by machinery and railroad cars are used
to haul the earth.
Still larger quantities are grown about
Buffalo, where tunnels have been util-
lied, and these, like the famous mush-
room caves of Paris, which are inspected
yearly by the government. are at such an
even temperature that scores of the fungi
can be gathered and are marketed with
profit What can be done here can be
accomplished in other places.
All edible mushrooms should be collect
ed in their prime and prepared and
served as speedily as possible, lest de-
composition sets in. Another precaution
is to carefully scrutiniZe the cap for the
minute grubs which sometimes infest the
entire surface. A vertical cut through
the stem and cap will ascertain this ques-
ton A good way is to COOK as one
would an oyster, but as for cooking, re-