Cultivating Mushrooms.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 288, 11 June 1896, Page 3

Cultivating Mushrooms.

Four of the United States Consuls in France have made reports On mushroom cultivation in that country. The industry is * considerable one, employing capital in. and around Paris alone of over £1,250,000 the Production bein* valued at £500,000. while sixty wholesale firms in p Ar iO, deal exclusively in mushrooms. The utmost care appears to be required in every one of the processes neceasay fot the artificial production, neplect in any one •pbilingthei whole crop. There must be a cool and even temperature, a certain moisture in that atmosphere and darkness, or at least an absence of sunshine. A #ligbt, steady air current, moving always iv the same direction, and if possible, torn; north to south is also important In the department of the Seine alone there »re said to be over 3000 caves in whicb mushrooms are grown, and in these about 800 people, champignonnistes, who rarely ■ea the daylight., -The caves are usually exhausted itonequarries, the decent into them bein'R by way of rope-ladders. A muehrooih bed n yields daily for about three months, and then the soil ia exhauated and of, no more u§e, and a new J^dy has to be prepared. Hence, by ' timely preparation of fresh beds, mush* rooms can be picked fresh throughout the