MUSHROOM FARM IN TUNNEL.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20919, 28 July 1933, Page 17

MUSHROOM FARM IN TUNNEL.

EXPERIMENT IN SYDNEY. BIG CROPS BUT HEAVY i EXPENSES. Mushrooms are one of the few crops of which the demand always seems to be in excess of the supply, save, l perhaps, during the autumn, when everyone sends them to market and I pulls the prices down. It has long been thought in this state, says the Sydney "Daily Telegraph," that the success achieved in other countries with artificial mushroom culture could be emulated in Sydney, but, owing to the difficulty of obtaining the requisite spawn few men have succeeded in growing them commercially under cover. It was, therefore, something in the nature of a surprise when Dr. R. J. iNoble, Government Biologist, announced, about a year ago. that he j had bred up cultures from which high quality mushrooms could be produced, and was finding a ready market for the spawn. It was left to a young Spaniard (Mr R. Mas), however, ta commercialise the crop on any considerable scale, and for this purpose he leased the unused tunnel constructed by the Railway Commissioners to connect up St. James Station with Circular quay. Mr Mas began his work about five months ago, when he obtained large quantities of horse manure from the Royal Agricultural Society and other sources. This, together with straw and black soil, was laboriously lifted up the high entrance to the tunnel at the Circular quay end, and placed in readiness for the cultures from the biologist. Flood and Pests. More than 80 tons of material in all were carted in and built up into beds and on benches. From the time the beds were prepared until a month ago, this progressive young Spaniard struck trouble. No sooner had he enclosed the end of the tunnel, a big undertaking in itself, than a heavy storm caused a flood to rush through it and washed all his beds and the early cultures away. Undaunted by this early setback, he began again, and then found that a plague of springtails had invaded the manure. As these pests feed on the small spawn they had to be controlled, and spraying the ground with nicotine sulphate took time and cost money. Native fungi then took a hand under the damp and humid conditions generated in the tunnel, and many of the wall benches had to be sterilised with formalin before the cultures could be set out Difficulties Overcome. These difficulties overcome, however. Dr. Noble was gratified to see that the cultures produced from spawn obtained by Mr Mas during a trip to England, France, and the United States were beginning to show results. A little more than 5000 square feet of beds and benches were constructed, and sown with spawn, and these are now producing big crops of highquality mushrooms of four different strains. Recently the industry was officially recognised, when the Minister for Agriculture, Mr H. Main, the Minister for Labour Mr Dunningham, the Under-Secretary, Mr G. D. Ross, the Police Commissioner. Mr Childs, and the Metropolitan Superintendent Mr Mackay, visited the tunnel, and were shown over this novel mushroom farm by Mr Mas and Dr. Noble Thousands of excellent mushrooms were seen in the beds, ranging from tiny buttons (champignons), much in demand by French people resident in Australia, to monsters weighing half a pound or more. The mature mushrooms are being gathered daily for the Sydney market, and Mr Mas is experiencing no difficulty in obtaining 2s 6d per lb for choice specimens. These are neatly boxed or crated, and, being entirely free from grit overhead moisture, dirt, and other deleterious matter so often found in naturally-grown mushroom?, they are selling well in Sydney shops Soon there will be tens of thousands showing in the beds, and Mr Mas expects to employ a number of mer and women in his new industry. Costly Undertaking. So far he has experienced little difficulty in maintaining the right temperatures in the tur.net which are closed off at intervals by high partitions. A large sum of money has been sunk in this little industry, but now that the initial difficulties are overcome, and the harvest has started. Mr Mas considers that all his expenditure and hard work may be returned to him in hard cash.