MUSHROOM CULTURE

Northern Advocate, 11 July 1936, Page 5

MUSHROOM CULTURE

(Written for the “Northern Advocate” by Edward Samuel).

I Preparation of Compost (continued). A little experience soon enables one to determine the amount of moisture required. Towards the end of ■ the composting period, the compost • should bind when squeezed in the ’ j hand, but there should be no free ■! moisture left on the hand or fingers. . j it may be stated that the heap should ij be moist throughout but should not '! be drenched with water. An excessive amount of water prevents fermentation, as previously indicated, but fermentation may set in at any ! time when the correct degree of moisj ture is obtained. Should this occur j after the compost is set out in the | bed the spawn will be destroyed by | the high temperatures which are de- | veloped. The manure should be well j packed, so as not to include too much jair, which may result in burning. | There is some latitude as to when j the first forking over is required, j Weather conditions are also of some importance, as the composting will take slightly longer to complete during cold weather. 4 s a general rule i smaller heaps may '■ be forked over { after a few days, and this process | may be repeated some five or six j times at intervals of two or three, j days, and the compost is ready for (use in about two or three weeks. If the intervals between turnings are from five to six days, the compost may be turned over three times and is ready in about four weeks. With large heaps it is usual to let them i stand for two or three weeks and | then turn them only once or twice, j Although it is possible tr compost a ! cubic yard of manure, the fermentaI tion is more satisfactory if larger I quantities are used. The manure | should be shaken out well at each I forking, and the outer portions of the heap turned into the centre, ‘ water being added if necessary. The moisture content must be watched carefully all the time. Should there ever be too much moisture, the heap should be forked over several times in succession to allow the excess to escape. The period required for composting depends on a number of factors, but is determined by the appearance of the compost itself. Small lots of compost may cometimes be prepared within three weeks, but, it may be five or six weeks before the material | is ready for transference to the beds.

f The compost at this stage should be dark brown in colour and should be damp but not wet, if in doubt the squeezing test should be applied; the compost should bind in the hand, but there should be no free moisture. The straw fragments should be short and dark colour, and the compost should be rather flaky in character and somewhat greasy in appearance, and should easily pass through the fingers. It will have lost any objectionable odour and will no longer steam vigorously. The temperature will have become uniformly moderate, i.e. from about 100'to 130 degrees Fahr. If the temperature of the heap dees not materially rise or fall for two or three days the compost can be safely transferred to the mushroom beds. This article will be continued on Monday.