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 >