,illustration ,a ,,study ,,of ,,mushrooms ,,and ,,mushroom ,,spawn ,,by ,,edw4 ,h4 ,,jacob ,west ,chester1 ,pa4 ,copyrighted #aiad1 by ,e4 ,h4 ,jacob ---------------------------------------- ------------------------- ,,preface ,this pamphlet has been written by one who has had a large and successful experience in growing ,mushrooms for the markets4 ,it was his misfortune to meet failure after failure at first1 due principally to poor ,spawn1 unfavorable conditions of the beds and other reasons4 ,he is1 therefore1 unusually well qualified to guide those who desire to grow ,mushrooms for home and local use4 ,it is my desire to give concise1 accurate and most reliable information without making any misleading or extravagant statements1 and to write in such a way as to be easily understood and successfully followed4 ,,edward ,h4 ,,jacob ---------------------------------------- ------------------------- ,,the ,,source ,,of ,,success ,it is acknowledged by all successful mushroom growers that the first and most important thing to be considered is the spawn4 ,no matter how favorable conditions may be1 no matter what care is taken in making the beds1 selecting the location or composting the manure1 if the spawn is not good1 mushrooms will not be plentiful and in many cases no mushrooms at all will make appearance4 ,the writer of this pamphlet spent nine years in carefully studying out the spawn question1 and during that period spent thousands and thousands of dollars in experimental work4 ,all of the different makes of spawn obtainable were tested1 both ,french1 ,english and ,american1 with varying results4 ,sometimes he obtained a reasonable yield of mushrooms and frequently none at all4 ,the result of all these experiments brought the conclusion that the only reliable method of producing spawn is by a grafting process discovered by ,dr4 ,b4 ,m4 ,duggar while he was connected with the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,this method of making spawn is directly responsible for the liberal supply of fresh mushrooms on the market in season4 ,if we had to depend on foreign spawn1 as in the past1 mushrooms would still be scarce and high4 ,the grower would rather pick a pound of mushrooms to each square foot of bed surface at an average price of #be cents a pound than to pick one-half pound 7more often less7 at #ej cents a pound1 which was the rule years ago4 ,,mushrooms ,,grown ,,for ,,home ,,use ,it is a very easy matter to plant a bed of mushrooms in the cellar or in an outbuilding1 for home use1 by following instructions and using good spawn4 ,in this case the results are reasonably certain4 ,it is a very great satisfaction to have this luxury during the entire winter season at the very lowest cost4 ,growing mushrooms on a large scale becomes more complicated1 and would require the continuous attention of a competent and interested person4 ,,how ,,many ,,mushrooms ,,are ,,grown ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states ,conditions vary from year to year1 and no accurate estimate is available as to how many pounds of mushrooms are grown in the ,united ,states4 ,we manufactured and sold enough spawn last season to grow #b1jjj1jjj pounds of mushrooms1 the output of the year having increased by #ajj1jjj bricks over the previous year4 ,this does not mean that new growers have come into the field1 but1 rather1 the discarding of poor or unreliable spawn by old growers has been general4 ,it would therefore be reasonable to conclude that from four to five million pounds of fresh mushrooms 7aside from field-grown7 are now used annually in the ,united ,states4 ,,cost ,,of ,,growing ,a ,,pound ,,of ,,mushrooms ,the actual cost of growing mushrooms varies according to the yield per square foot of bed surface4 ,if one pound is picked to every square foot1 the cost is much lower than when only one-half pound to the square foot is picked4 ,growers who are obliged to purchase manure at a distance1 pay the freight on it and employ competent men to handle and care for the mushroom-growing plants1 estimate the cost of producing mushrooms at #ae to #be cents per pound4 ,those who grow mushrooms for pleasure1 and have their own stables1 or get manure from a neighboring stable1 are at very little expense and could grow mushrooms at less than half the above cost4 ,illustration3 ,the above photograph shows a bed of ,mushrooms grown from the ,brandywine ,spawn4 ,this is no better than may be expected when local conditions are right4 ,the entire house in which this photograph was taken averaged more than one and a half pounds of ,mushrooms to every square foot of bed surface4 ,they were grown by ,edward ,h4 ,jacob1 ,west ,chester1 ,pa4 ,,market ,,prices ,users of mushrooms generally pay at the store from #dj to #fj cents a pound for mushrooms1 and when these can be delivered from the grower to the user1 these prices are not overestimated4 ,if mushrooms are to be grown for the larger markets like ,new ,york1 ,philadelphia1 ,boston1 ,pittsburgh or other ,eastern cities1 the net prices realized by the ,eastern grower will be much less4 ,in fact1 the markets occasionally are badly overstocked1 and mushrooms sell below the actual cost of production4 ,it would therefore seem to be most profitable when mushrooms can be delivered to the user by the grower4 ,in a majority of smaller towns and cities mushrooms are rather scarce1 and local dealers are glad to take them at compensating prices4 ,meat is high in price and likely to be still higher4 ,mushrooms can often be used as a most delicious substitute4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------- ,,how ,,to ,,cook ,,and ,,serve ,,mushrooms ,we have prepared a separate sheet giving the best and most practical ways of cooking mushrooms4 ,this will be forwarded to anyone making application for it and enclosing a two-cent stamp4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------- ,,our ,,method ,,of ,,testing ,,original ,,cultures ,before our ,brandywine ,spawn is made up in quantity1 the different varieties are first tested in our own beds and accurate record of production is each day carefully made4 ,in this way we eliminate entirely unproductive varieties and choose only those which are most vigorous1 perfect in shape and color and will make the greatest yield4 ,illustration3 ,spawn ,plant located at ,west ,chester1 ,pa4 ,since the above photograph was taken this plant has been doubled in size4 ,it is located within half a block of the main freight depot1 where ten acres1 or two city blocks1 had been purchased for the manufacture of ,the ,brandywine ,spawn4 ,illustration ,,price ,,list ,the fact that ,jacob's ,brandywine ,spawn costs a little more than any other spawn made1 and that the large and most successful growers are quite willing to pay more for it1 means that they find it the most profitable to use4 ,the ,,best is always the ,,cheapest ,jacob's ,brandywine ,spawn is made in three varieties1 pure white1 cream white and light brown at the following prices3 99 99 99 99 99 ,one brick is enough for #aj square feet of bed surface4 #a brick or more 7by mail1 prepaid71 #ce cents a brick4 #e bricks or more 7by express1 not prepaid71 #be cents a brick4 #be bricks or more 7by exp4 or frt41 not prep'd71 #bj cts4 a brick4 #ej bricks or more 7by exp4 or frt41 not prep'd71 #ah cts4 a brick4 #ace bricks 7one case7 7by exp4 or frt41 not prepaid71 #ae cents a brick4 ,stamps1 money orders or checks should accompany orders to insure prompt shipment4 ,manufactured ,solely by ,,edward ,h4 ,,jacob ,,west ,,chester1 ,,pa41 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,on the following pages will be found full and complete instructions for those who wish to grow ,mushrooms for home use as well as for the market4 ,,selection ,,of ,a ,,place ,,to ,,grow ,,mushrooms ,any cellar which maintains a uniform temperature of from #de to #fe degrees may be used4 ,any barn or outbuilding may be supplied with heat and used successfully1 but the temperature should be kept as nearly uniform as possible4 ,any cold building which it is not practical to heat1 may be planted during ,september while the weather is still warm and the beds allowed to get cold and even freeze up solid during winter months4 ,such beds will produce the finest kind of mushrooms during the early spring months when the temperature rises sufficiently4 ,the larger growers usually build houses especially for mushrooms and heat by means of hot water pipes4 ,some use abandoned caves or mines1 while florists often grow mushrooms successfully under greenhouse benches4 ,,preparation ,,of ,,manure ,select fresh horse manure where wheat or oats straw has been used as bedding4 ,never use old manure or manure mixed with shavings or sawdust4 ,place the fresh manure in a neat pile and cover with two or three inches of earth4 ,in the course of three or four days turn the manure over1 shaking and mixing the earth in thoroughly4 ,add water if necessary to keep the manure in reasonably moist condition4 ,cover again with earth which will be sufficient1 and allow the pile to heat1 through the action of bacteria in the manure1 for five or six days4 ,then turn again1 shaking up thoroughly each time1 and turning the outer dried or whitened portion of the pile toward the centre4 ,add water with a sprinkler when necessary to keep plenty of moisture4 ,after about four turnings in this way1 covering a period of three or four weeks the manure will be sufficiently rotted and decomposed to make into the beds4 ,,making ,,the ,,beds ,the manure should be placed on the floor or prepared bed spaces to a depth of #h to #aj inches in winter weather4 ,in warm weather #f or #g inches are enough4 ,the compost should be compressed in making the bed and provided it is not too wet it may be tramped1 which prevents too much drying out1 while the manure is heating in the beds4 ,the only practical test of the proper moisture content of the manure at time of making beds1 is when upon compression in the hand water cannot readily be squeezed out of it4 ,after the beds are made up they should be covered and allowed to heat for a week or ten days4 ,after this length of time the temperature should be watched until it falls to #gj degrees1 when the beds may safely be spawned4 ,the temperature may be obtained by inserting a common glass thermometer in the manure4 ,during the process of heating1 after the beds are made up1 the temperature often rises as high as #abe degrees1 and it is never safe to spawn until it falls to #gj degrees4 ,illustration3 ,the above illustration shows how an ordinary cellar may be fitted up either with beds on the floor or arranged in tiers1 one above the other1 in order to increase the growing surface4 ,,spawning ,the bricks of spawn should be broken into ten or twelve pieces and placed on the surface of the beds #h to #aj inches apart each way4 ,then go over the bed again1 raising the manure and burying the spawn about half-inch below the surface and tamping 7pressing7 firmly over each piece1 leaving the bed level on top4 ,in about two weeks dig up a piece or two of spawn carefully1 and if the mycelium is noticed running out like a mould from the brick into the manure it is time to case4 ,this is done by putting one inch of sifted soil evenly over the top of the manure4 ,,ventilation ,where mushrooms are grown on a large scale1 proper ventilation is very necessary4 ,the overhead ventilators are generally preferred1 as the ventilation is more uniform without draught4 ,the ventilators should remain open when outside temperature is right1 and at other times for one or two hours each day4 ,where small beds are used in cellars or out-buildings1 extra ventilation is not so necessary4 ,,avoid ,,all ,,draughts4 ,,watering ,while the room should be kept moist1 little or no water should be used on the beds after spawning till the mushrooms begin to appear1 which is generally from six to eight weeks from time of spawning4 ,then the beds at first should be sprinkled lightly every day or two till the surface is quite moist1 after that one or two sprinklings a week will be sufficient1 according to the condition of the beds4 ,if they get dry quickly water oftener4 ,illustration3 ,mushroom ,growing ,plant ,no4 #b1 built and operated by ,edward ,h4 ,jacob1 ,west ,chester1 ,pa4 ,this plant contains eleven separate ,mushroom houses1 with a total growing surface of #gh1ejj square feet2 each building is #ajj feet long4 ,,picking ,the mushrooms should be picked once a day just before they open out4 7,see cut47 ,the root should be twisted gently and taken out with the mushroom disturbing the earth as little as possible4 ,the stems should be cut off and the mushrooms packed in baskets4 ,when grown in small quantities1 the #a-pound ventilated boxes are often used as a matter of convenience1 but the large growers ship generally in four-pound baskets4 7,see cut47 ,illustration3 ,ripe ,enough to ,pick ,illustration3 ,the ,one-,pound ,ventilated ,boxes ,the beds may be expected to produce under ordinary conditions for a period of from two to four months1 depending largely upon the temperature4 ,at an average of #ej degrees they will yield at least four months and every other day would be quite often enough to pick4 ,at #fe degrees they must be picked regularly every day and the crop will be almost completed in two months4 ,cooler temperature makes heavier and better mushrooms4 ,points to ,remember ,mushrooms cannot be successfully grown at a temperature above #fe degrees4 ,a temperature of #gj degrees for #bd hours will kill all growing mushrooms1 but more will come up from the same beds when the temperature falls4 ,violent fluctuations in temperature are undesirable4 ,cold will retard growth1 but will not otherwise injure the beds4 ,freezing will destroy mushrooms already above the ground1 but will not hurt the spawn in the beds4 ,there is probably more injury done by overwatering than by any other one thing4 ,keep the surface moist but never soak the beds4 ,never cover the bed with earth until it has been spawned #aj days or two weeks1 or the temperature of the manure may rise sufficiently to injure the spawn4 ,never purchase spawn because it is cheap1 neither be led into paying extravagant prices through misleading advertisements4 ,if any insect pest makes appearance or any diseased condition arises1 write the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 for information4 ,spawn should be as fresh as it is possible to obtain it1 should be kept in a cool dry place till used4 ,improper storage will damage it in a comparatively short time4 ,imported brands of spawn are apt to be old and often worthless4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,four-,,pound ,,shipping ,,basket ,transcriber's ,note3 ,words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores1 like this4 ,those in bold are surrounded by equal signs1 like this4