The Book of the Mushroom: Growing & Harvesting

By A. Defries

Originally published in 1936, this book is a detailed introduction to the cultivation of the mushroom. Full of practical information and instructions on growing and harvesting mushrooms, this book is still of great practical use to today's grower or mushroom enthusiast and even features a short collection of classic recipes. Contents include: introduction - The Nature of The Mushroom - Site and Soil - Buildings - Manures - Spawns - Making up Beds - Care of Beds - Diseases and Pests and Their Control - Picking and Packing - Exhibiting - Some Companion Crops - Marketing and Costings - Cooking Recipes. We are republishing this vintage text in a modern and affordable edition, featuring high quality reproductions of the original artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Mar 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781447488187

Book preview

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

THE cult of the mushroom in England has greatly increased in the last few years, since the introduction into this country of ‘pure-culture’ spawns, and recently I have been inundated with letters from people all over the world asking me to tell them how to grow mushrooms. I am thus, I feel, almost forced to write this book as a reply to my many correspondents, and I am the more ready to do so as I feel that it will have interest for the general reader.

Whatever may be said to the contrary, successful cultivation of the mushroom requires capital, skill, experience, labour and scientific equipment; in my experience any of the good spawns produce almost similar results, and I do not hesitate to say that success depends upon the method of cultivation.

I found very great difficulty in obtaining information. In the matter of costings, for example, there was no reliable source of information. My aim has been to fuse the differences of experts and fill the gaps in the literature on the subject, in the light of my own experience as a grower.

I say, without hesitation, that, given scientific methods and the capital these require, the mushroom provides a crop which, financially, should be second to none.

A GOOD MARKET

An important point is that, so far as can be discovered, there is at present no sign that production has reached anything like saturation point.

Here is one of the few crops which is free from over-production. And, owing to the fact that the supply of suitable manure is limited, there is little likelihood of over-production until a substitute for horse manure comes on to the market at a price which will make it a commercial proposition.

MANURE SUBSTITUTES

Experiments are being made, and mushrooms have been grown on substitute manures: experiment continues, here and in the U.S.A., and the day will come when the whole culture of mushrooms will be changed. But ‘further research is required before a substitute comes that will ensure a reasonable crop or production can be recommended with confidence.’¹

FUTURE POSSIBILITIES

When a substitute manure has come on to the market at a suitable price, then there will be no natural limit to possible production and the markets may become permanently glutted unless some official action is then taken.

Machinery may then be invented to take the place of manual labour, and the ‘rationalization’ of the industry may arrive. But the general view of experts is that it must be at least ten years before this comes to pass.

THE PRIVATE GARDENER

Apart from the commercial view of this crop, there is the view of the private gardener who only wishes to grow it for his own enjoyment, and this group of growers, or would-be growers, is very large.

Yet many owners of expensive gardens have come to me with the same story: ‘My gardener cannot grow them.’ Some, indeed, vary it and say: ‘My gardener will not grow them.’ The reason for most of these complaints can be summed up in a few words: as a rule the owner of the gardens has not realized that his gardener needs (a) special conditions, (b) special manure supplies, (c) extra labour, to enable him to produce a satisfactory crop.

FRESHLY GROWN ON SHIPS

I have been asked, by an able-bodied seaman lying off the coast of South America, whether mushrooms can be grown on board ship. I see no reason why this could not be possible. The best way would be to evolve a system of cultivation in boxes. The boxes can be brought to the stage of production before they are shipped, and if scientific precautions are taken in the transport of these boxes from shore to ship, passengers might be able to enjoy freshly-picked mushrooms every day of the voyage.

In France, I believe, there is a law to prevent the sale of mushrooms which are more than two days old.

It is very necessary for caterers and housewives to become more mushroom-educated and to learn never to buy them when the gills are black, or when they are very light in weight. A fresh mushroom is pink in the gills and weighs fairly heavy. After twenty-four hours the pink colour changes to a shade known as ‘mushroom pink’ and then to a pinkish brown—these are fit to eat. Stale mushrooms are poison.

As to cooking them, the average British cook has much to learn. There are at least two hundred and fifty ways in which mushrooms may be used.

I have been asked many times whether a London flat-dweller can grow them.

IN FLATS

The answer is: they can be grown in a flat, by the box system, in the same way as on a ship, but in a flat the great disadvantage would be live pests.

The same reply answers one or two people who have asked me if they can be grown (a) under the bed, (b) in the kitchen, despite the obvious disadvantages!

There are many different ways of growing mushrooms.

I know a farmer living near the Salt Industry, who annually spreads salt on his pastures: and does nothing else to the crop. He has every year such results that he is able to supply his local markets by the cart-load. Luckily he lives near to great industrial centres. Of course he only gets production in the ‘wild’ mushroom season, but he finds it very profitable. His fields are evidently well supplied by nature with wild spawn.

LAWNS AND PASTURES

It is possible to cultivate them in lawns and pastures, by cutting into the grass with a small knife, inserting a little specially-composted manure, and then a piece of spawn the size of a walnut. After that there is nothing to do but ‘wait and see.’ Sometimes the result is surprising—on the other hand a different surprise may result, i.e., no mushrooms! In any case they would only come in the ‘wild’ season: and taking everything into account, it hardly seems worth the cost of labour to use this method, though it is quite amusing for the private gardener to do on a small scale. They might have the ground freshly planted each year.

The would-be grower should ask himself, in the first place, if he wants to produce every day in the year, or for part of the year only, or just during the wild season. His methods will be largely planned according to his reply to these questions.

Mushrooms can be grown out of doors very successfully from May to October on the ‘ridge bed’ system, which, however presents certain problems. In winter they can be grown in deep pits without heat, but the cost of digging the pits is heavy, and it is not easy to prevent them from becoming waterlogged. (See Chapter IV.)

They can be—and in my experience have been—produced at Christmas time in a small shed made of straw, without heat. There are disadvantages in this and it is out of the question for winter supplies from a commercial point of view.

They can be grown in cellars, glasshouses, disused barns, even a disused room in the house (with access to garden), in old stables, oast-houses, &c., &c., but in all these cases a certain expenditure is needed to ‘condition’ such places for a successful crop.

There is no doubt that the only really satisfactory plan is to provide scientifically-conditioned buildings, if what you want is a relatively healthy and even production all the year round.

Many people have written to me saying, ‘we have no manure available, no capital, no sheds, no labour’—and, could I tell them how to grow mushrooms which they adore.

One typical letter I must quote—it came from the wild spaces of north-west Canada:

‘would you kindly send me all information at once I need on how to grow mushrooms Has ave tried so many times and nerve ad a suckcers I saw your Article so I thought I would get your Advise. Thanking you Greatly and oblige.

Mr. ——’

I know of at least one big grower who takes pupils, at a charge of £100 for three months.¹ But up-to-date mushroom cultivation does not appear to be a speciality of agricultural or horticultural colleges, and it is very difficult to obtain tuition at all.

Spawn-makers are very good in allowing one to see their beds and in sending specialized men to look over one’s beds: some give services such as testing, &c., to diagnose sources of trouble. But none of them can save a crop that has gone wrong.

Most growers are not accessible and it is not easy to gain experience except on one’s own place. It is not even very easy to obtain a really first-rate foreman or gardener for this crop, because the demand for them is greater than the supply, at present.

On all problems of pests and diseases, Mr. Ware and his colleagues, of the South-Eastern Agricultural College, Wye, Kent (University of London), are the unbiased and recognized authorities—and they are the first to admit how little is known about this crop—for the modern methods have only been practised in this country for a comparatively short time; and, up to date, the expectations of a grower and spawn-maker—author of a book, which sold 60,000 copies, first published in 1883—have not been fully realized.

The title of his book and its sub-title indicate what those expectations were:

‘Mushrooms for the Million in Town and Country. A hundred and twenty per cent profit. Most profitable outdoor crop known.’¹

I hope to return to this book, later, as it is very interesting to compare it with modern methods.

As to the possible profits: my first experiment—one bed only—showed a 400 per cent profit on outlay: but then I did not reckon the cost of the garden room used, nor of my own labour, nor of my car in which I took the small amount of produce to market!

When developed to