The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-08-26
DISEASE OF MUSHROOMS
 CAUSES LARGE I.AssIss
But May Be ControIIed 1norouea FormaIdehyde-G Gas Fsuuaigatfon Needed to Combat This In-
 9ectdous Blight.

Washington. Aug. 26-A fungus disease of cultivated m11shrooms has reduced the yield in certain houses from S0soO0 pounds to less than 1000 pounds a year. Extensive nushroom plants in the eastern part of Pennsyl- vania which supply the eastern mar kets have been fhreatened In one section there are more than 25o es- tabTish naents whose collective product exceeds one million pounds of naush which is known as the "Mycogone disease,'s is reported to have caused annual losses Of about $2eo,000 to mushroom growers of Paris. An ef- fective method for the control of this blight has been evolved in the United Estates, and all mushroom growers VIII be interested in its exposition in q new bulletin of the '. & Department of Agriculture, entitled fsThe A4yco1 gone Disease Of Mushrooms and It's lControl. z shortly to be issued.
 The common form of the disease in this country as well as in France con- sists of a white veIyety coating that lcovers the mushroom. The normal development of the gills is prevented and as the disease progresses the coi- or darIens and the tissue decays The cap of the mushroom is frequently distorted and arrested in development l by the fungus
 | The new bulletin gives the follow ling advice to mushroom growers for the prevention and control of the dis ] ease:
 l Diseased houses should not be used for the cultivation of mushrooms un- l til at least three years have elapsed I after the house has been abandoned- FormaIdehy de-gas should be enn- played to disinfect the houses. For ties, retards the growth of the fun l gus and when sufficiently strong will I destroy the spores A rate of pints of formaldehyde or formalin per 1soee cubic feet should be used, in the pro- portion of pint Of fornalin to one T half pound of potassium permangan-
 ate. An apparatus suitable for use f in fumi gation is fully described and 1 illustrated in bulletin No. III Of the Bureau of Plant Industry which grow 1 CTS may have free on application. l Filmigation will control the disease in the houses, but will not keep them I free, since bringing infected material. tools, etc., into the houses will cer- .l tainly start the disease anew there I fore every precaution should be taken
 houses after they have been funisat-
 ed.
 Coal oil has no effect upon the
 spores of the parasite
 I Diseased material should be remov- I ed from the houses in1nediately and T treated with a. disinfectant. preferably
 a solution of gallon of fornaa5lin te
 about 45 gallons of water. This dis
 infectant should be used to spray all 1 pIades where diseased material hal
 been. Tools and conveyances should
 also be treated.
 Although the disease is highly in I fectious, 1t is only recently that grow. i CTS have appreciated that it has beer
 responsible for such extensive losses The successful cultivation of mush
 T-v, i and special conditions that losses
 have often been attributed to other factors besides the disease. An un
 suitable degree of humidity, imper
 feet ventilation, improper preparation of the bed, and the presence of in
 sects may ruin a mushroom crop, bu such 1nfavorable conditions have of ten been blamed when it was the fun
 gus disease that caused the greates
 loss.