Mushroom Culture: Its Extension and ImprovementRobinson, W. (William)
Science
Mushroom Culture: Its Extension and Improvement
Robinson, W. (William)
Mushroom culture; Mushrooms
I will now quote a few words from Mr. Ayres on other materials for
forming mushroom-beds than stable manure. He has given this, like almost
every important subject in the range of horticulture, some attention.
First among these may be mentioned sawdust which has been used for
bedding horses or for riding-school tracks. Such a substance, thoroughly
impregnated with urine and mixed with horse-droppings, forms an
excellent material for mushroom-beds, especially if mixed with
one-fourth of good fibrous loam. Such materials mixed and fermented
together, and thrown into a bed a foot or eighteen inches in thickness,
according to the temperature of the shed in which the bed is made, will
be found to form capital material for growing this esculent, especially
as it retains the heat for a long time. The worst of it is that the
material is almost valueless after it has served the first purpose; and
used as dung upon light land is rather injurious than otherwise. Then
you may use leaves and loam, in the proportion of one part of the
latter, in a turfy state, to four or five of fermenting leaves. These
may be recently gathered from the trees, and should be allowed to attain
a brisk heat before the loam is added, and then, after sweating for a
week or ten days, may be turned, mixing the materials intimately
together, and then the mass may be formed into a bed. A mushroom-bed of
this kind should not be less than fifteen inches in thickness when
thoroughly consolidated; and when so managed it will grow mushrooms just
as well as dung. The sweepings of our streets and cattle markets,
especially those parts that are paved and much frequented by horses--as,
for example, cabstands, &c.--if collected when dry, and fermented a
little, yield capital material for beds. Here from the cattle market we
have the dung of horses, sheep, and cows mixed together in a finely
divided state, the heating of which is gentle and regular. Material of
this kind procured on dry days, thrown together to ferment once or
twice, and then made into well-consolidated beds, will produce mushrooms
of the finest quality, and continue in bearing a very long time. It is
of the first importance that this material be collected in a dry state,
as of course the slush of the streets would not do at all. Equal
proportions of street sweepings and fresh leaves, properly fermented and
mixed with loam, would perhaps make as good material for growing
mushrooms as need be obtained. Of course the sweepings from those parts
of the town most frequented by horses will be the best for the purpose I
am writing about.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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