Part 1

A STUDY OF

MUSHROOMS AND MUSHROOM SPAWN

EDW. H. JACOB

West Chester, Pa.

Copyrighted 1914, by E. H. Jacob

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | PREFACE | | | | | | This pamphlet has been written by one who has had a large | | and successful experience in growing Mushrooms for the | | markets. It was his misfortune to meet failure after | | failure at first, due principally to poor Spawn, | | unfavorable conditions of the beds and other reasons. He | | is, therefore, unusually well qualified to guide those who | | desire to grow Mushrooms for home and local use. | | | | It is my desire to give concise, accurate and most reliable | | information without making any misleading or extravagant | | statements, and to write in such a way as to be easily | | understood and successfully followed. | | | | EDWARD H. 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 spawn. No matter how favorable conditions may be, no matter what care is taken in making the beds, selecting the location or composting the manure, if the spawn is not good, mushrooms will not be plentiful and in many cases no mushrooms at all will make appearance.

The writer of this pamphlet spent nine years in carefully studying out the spawn question, and during that period spent thousands and thousands of dollars in experimental work. All of the different makes of spawn obtainable were tested, both French, English and American, with varying results. Sometimes he obtained a reasonable yield of mushrooms and frequently none at all.

The result of all these experiments brought the conclusion that the only reliable method of producing spawn is by a grafting process discovered by Dr. B. M. Duggar while he was connected with the United States Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C.

This method of making spawn is directly responsible for the liberal supply of fresh mushrooms on the market in season. If we had to depend on foreign spawn, as in the past, mushrooms would still be scarce and high.

The grower would rather pick a pound of mushrooms to each square foot of bed surface at an average price of 25 cents a pound than to pick one-half pound (more often less) at 50 cents a pound, which was the rule years ago.

=MUSHROOMS GROWN FOR HOME USE=

It is a very easy matter to plant a bed of mushrooms in the cellar or in an outbuilding, for home use, by following instructions and using good spawn. In this case the results are reasonably certain. It is a very great satisfaction to have this luxury during the entire winter season at the very lowest cost.

Growing mushrooms on a large scale becomes more complicated, and would require the continuous attention of a competent and interested person.

=HOW MANY MUSHROOMS ARE GROWN IN THE UNITED STATES=

Conditions vary from year to year, and no accurate estimate is available as to how many pounds of mushrooms are grown in the United States. We manufactured and sold enough spawn last season to grow 2,000,000 pounds of mushrooms, the output of the year having increased by 100,000 bricks over the previous year.

This does not mean that new growers have come into the field, but, rather, the discarding of poor or unreliable spawn by old growers has been general.

It would therefore be reasonable to conclude that from four to five million pounds of fresh mushrooms (aside from field-grown) are now used annually in the United States.

=COST OF GROWING A POUND OF MUSHROOMS=

The actual cost of growing mushrooms varies according to the yield per square foot of bed surface. If one pound is picked to every square foot, the cost is much lower than when only one-half pound to the square foot is picked.

Growers who are obliged to purchase manure at a distance, pay the freight on it and employ competent men to handle and care for the mushroom-growing plants, estimate the cost of producing mushrooms at 15 to 25 cents per pound.

Those who grow mushrooms for pleasure, and have their own stables, or get manure from a neighboring stable, are at very little expense and could grow mushrooms at less than half the above cost.

=MARKET PRICES=

Users of mushrooms generally pay at the store from 40 to 60 cents a pound for mushrooms, and when these can be delivered from the grower to the user, these prices are not overestimated.

If mushrooms are to be grown for the larger markets like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh or other Eastern cities, the net prices realized by the Eastern grower will be much less. In fact, the markets occasionally are badly overstocked, and mushrooms sell below the actual cost of production. It would therefore seem to be most profitable when mushrooms can be delivered to the user by the grower.

In a majority of smaller towns and cities mushrooms are rather scarce, and local dealers are glad to take them at compensating prices. Meat is high in price and likely to be still higher. Mushrooms can often be used as a most delicious substitute.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | =HOW TO COOK AND SERVE MUSHROOMS= | | | | | | We have prepared a separate sheet giving the best and most | | practical ways of cooking mushrooms. This will be forwarded to | | anyone making application for it and enclosing a two-cent stamp. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+