Read Ebook: A study of mushrooms and mushroom spawn by Jacob Edward Henry

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Ebook has 73 lines and 6983 words, and 2 pages

AVOID ALL DRAUGHTS.

While the room should be kept moist, little or no water should be used on the beds after spawning till the mushrooms begin to appear, which is generally from six to eight weeks from time of spawning.

Then the beds at first should be sprinkled lightly every day or two till the surface is quite moist, after that one or two sprinklings a week will be sufficient, according to the condition of the beds. If they get dry quickly water oftener.

PICKING

The mushrooms should be picked once a day just before they open out.

The root should be twisted gently and taken out with the mushroom disturbing the earth as little as possible.

The stems should be cut off and the mushrooms packed in baskets.

When grown in small quantities, the 1-pound ventilated boxes are often used as a matter of convenience, but the large growers ship generally in four-pound baskets.

The beds may be expected to produce under ordinary conditions for a period of from two to four months, depending largely upon the temperature. At an average of 50 degrees they will yield at least four months and every other day would be quite often enough to pick.

At 65 degrees they must be picked regularly every day and the crop will be almost completed in two months.

Cooler temperature makes heavier and better mushrooms.

Mushrooms cannot be successfully grown at a temperature above 65 degrees. A temperature of 70 degrees for 24 hours will kill all growing mushrooms, but more will come up from the same beds when the temperature falls.

Violent fluctuations in temperature are undesirable.

Cold will retard growth, but will not otherwise injure the beds. Freezing will destroy mushrooms already above the ground, but will not hurt the spawn in the beds.

There is probably more injury done by overwatering than by any other one thing.

Keep the surface moist but never soak the beds.

Never cover the bed with earth until it has been spawned 10 days or two weeks, or the temperature of the manure may rise sufficiently to injure the spawn.

Never purchase spawn because it is cheap, neither be led into paying extravagant prices through misleading advertisements.

If any insect pest makes appearance or any diseased condition arises, write the United States Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C., for information.

Spawn should be as fresh as it is possible to obtain it, should be kept in a cool dry place till used. Improper storage will damage it in a comparatively short time.

Imported brands of spawn are apt to be old and often worthless.

Transcriber's Note:

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

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