Mushroom Business Booms; Lancaster County Assists Most associate the mushroom with steak, with creamed soup or the shape of a cloud produced by the Atomic bomb , , . but down m the Kennett Square area of southwestern Chester county, the mushroom business has mush roomed into a major economic factor. Low, whitewashed buildings v/ithout windows line the road sides near Oxford, Kennett Square, Toughkenamon, Avon dale in fact from Chester to Oxford there are 600 mushroom growers producing 65 per cent of the world's crop. Sit down with officials at the American Mushroom Institute in Avondale, or talk with growers like the~Lositos or Frezzos, hard working people of Italian ex traction who have the knack to grow the succulent fungus. Hear their story. It’s amazing what a role this area of some 25 square miles maintains for the world’s dinner tables. 90% of Square Footage Have a chat with Neblo Delau rentis, president ot the AMI, or Anthony Losito, vice president, both producers, marketers and now kingpins in telling the mush room story. “This area contains 75 per cent of the nation's mushroom grow er:,” the two men told, “and 90 per cent of the square footage in mushroom beds ” at one time the district that even extends into Lancaster County produced 80 per cent of the nation’s mush rooms, but, through their ex ample, the business expanded in other regions until today 65 per cent of the total crop comes from this tiny kingdom that still re tains the well-earned title of the “World’s Mushicom Center.” Here is indoor farming, farm fngerated air conditioning. This ing by the thermpmeter and hygrometer, by heating and re is one branch of farming where the producer can control the growth of his product, can “force” its product, Jmtp more, rapid de velopment , or slow down its ripening process. Crop, May Bipen Fast ■ “But take a hot, humid day land your ciop is apt to be ready long before you're ready to mar ket it,” Guido Frezzo told at the E. Frezzo & Sons establishment on the southeast edge of Tough ikcriamon. With ms father, Emidio, brothers Joseph and Gabriel, tdo explained the entire grow- IFT ILLUSION Delta red F-102A jets aren’t *Rg down this runway at ie t - Calif. The all-weather, •flight interceptors art on the runway. Streaks ting lines of movement '-flash picture are tire , by previous jet land ie Mojave Desert base. (ing process in the midst of com posting season, when housese were being filled for the “sweating out” period where temperatures may bounce in a few days to 135 or 140 degrees, therwise, steam boilcrsmay be'used in the period of sweating out or air condition ing to lower temperatures when the crop is growing. It’s hard work, and the Tough kenamon Italian extraction is re spected throughout the neighbor hood for industry. Where does the produce of these low whitewashed houses go? Mr Losito answered that 25 per cent goes into the fresh market, 35 per cent of the crop is canned, and 40 per cent goes into canned soups and gravies Canning, as well as growing, is another major industry in the Mushroom Capi tal. ~ “In 1954, from a production of 50 million pounds, growers re ceived approximately $l5 mil lion,” Mr. Delaurentis and Mr. Losito report. On the other hand, annual consumption in the U. S, ic only approximately one half pound per person That’s why the Institute was established. Other officers include Mrs Marie Eb becke, secretary; Herman Fer rare, treasurer, while Howard J Walton, II is chairman of the board. I ancaster County offers a boost to Chester county’s mushroom ing mushroom business. Tobacco ■ ■ ■ ■ V V \ * V' \ $l5 Million Return To All Fellow Republicans To vote for Judge H. Clay Burkholder on a paper ballot: 1. 2. To vote for Judge H. Clay Burkholder on a voting machine* 1. 2. 3. Then open the curtain and your vote will be recorded. stems are used extensively in spawn, and another former agri cultural waste product has found a new outlet. “New York is our largest fresh outlet, along with Philadelphia,” the Institute tells, “while canned markets extend all over the na tion ” There are 13 canneries in the southwestern Chester county FUTURE FARMERS’ CHIEF —Don Dunham, 19, of Lake view, Ore., has been elected president of the Future Farmers of America, meeting in conven tion at Kansas'City, Mo. Mark an X in the box for your party. Mark an X in the box after the name ‘*H. Clay Burkholder”. This is the first individual box on ballot. Pull your party lever. PUSH UP the little lever second row, PUSH DOWN the little lever in the first column, first row, over the name “Burkholder.” This advertisement sponsored by the Republican Committee for Judge Burkholder. region. Like other farmers, there are pioblems of disease and pests plaguing the mushroom man “We have animal pests, fungus molds and airborne disease to contend with,” Mr Delaurentis explain ed, adding “and each one of these ina> be broken down into at least 1 000 divisions Most heartening of all recent May Check Cancer news to the mushroom produc ing section of Chester county is that certain kinds of mushrooms in the diet show ability to stop the growth of some cancers trans planted into mice. Origin of this development was BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBaBBBBBBBBBj SALES : s over the name “Johnstone.” Lancaster Farming, Friday, November 4, 1955 M. Brubaker, Inc. R; SALUNGA, PA. Phone, Landisville 4016 in the first column, in some central European coun tries where people eating a cer tain species of mushroom— Bole tus Edulis leported very few cases of cancer. Now tests are underway at Michigan State Uni versity to see how an extract from Boletus Edulis can retard growth of some types of expen, T( mental cancer in mice from 10 different species have" been found to contain some' prin ciple able to ->low tumor growth in mice. What was once Pennsylvania solution to one of man’s most folklore may tomorrow be a vexing problems of health The mushroom may carry the answer. SERVICE S 11 I m >
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers