The Principles of Mushroom Growing and Mushroom Spawn Making (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ...as there are present rapidly oxidizable food products) bacterial action is vigorous, and is unquestionably injurious to mycelial development. Wholly aside from the rise of temperature accompanying their activities, bacteria are otherwise injurious. In fact, manure which is put to ferment in a small test tube shows little or no rise of temperature above that of the place in which it is incubated. Nevertheless, the mycelium of the mushroom will not grow under such conditions. Rapid bacterial action is therefore prejudicial. Under those conditions where bacterial action is not rapid, fresh manure might be used to advantage; in other words, if the beds are so constructed that the manure ferments very gradually, without either excessive bacterial action or rise of temperature, then spawning might be made in fresh manure. The old belief that rotten manure does not have the necessary strength--that is, does not produce so vigorous a mushroom growth as that which has been less transformed by bacterial action--has been confirmed by practical experiments. This loss of effectiveness is probably due, in part, to a change in texture or to other physical changes. In well-rotted manure there is ample food material to support a very good growth of mycelium in pure cultures. This has been chemically proved by sterilizing such manure and growing mushroom spawn upon it in pure culture. Nevertheless, by comparing (in Table VIII) No. 12 with Nos. 13, 14, and 15, it will be seen that beds prepared with well-fermented manure and left for some time before spawning do not yield so well. It is believed that here the physical condition has much to do with the result. The latter does not by any means invalidate the following practice, which has commended itself to...