e dirt can sift upon the other mushrooms, or fall in upon
the gills of those which are open, the lower part of the stem is cut
off. This stem end is then placed in one basket, while the mushrooms
which have been trimmed are placed in another basket. In cutting off the
stems, just enough is cut to remove the soil, so that the length of the
stem of the mushroom varies. The mushrooms are then taken to the packing
room in the cleanest possible condition, with no soil scattering
therefrom or falling down among the gills, as occurs to a greater or
lesser extent where the mushrooms are picked and thrown
indiscriminately into baskets.

=Packing the Mushrooms.=--In the packing room the mushrooms are prepared
for shipment to market. The method at present usually employed is to
ship them in baskets. The baskets vary in size, according to the market
to which the mushrooms are to be shipped. They hold from three, to four,
five, six, or ten pounds each. The larger baskets are only used where
the mushrooms are shipped directly to the consumers. When the customer
requires a large number of mushrooms, they can be shipped in these
larger baskets. Where they are shipped to commission merchants, and the
final market is not known to the packer, they are usually packed in
small baskets, three to four or five pounds. The baskets are sometimes
lined with paper; that is, at the time of the packing the paper is
placed in the basket, one or two thicknesses of paper. The number of
layers of paper depends somewhat upon the conditions of transportation.
The greater amount of paper affords some protection from cold, in cold
weather, and some protection from the evaporation of the moisture, in
dry weather. When the basket is filled with the required quantity of
mushrooms, which is usually determined first by weight, the surplus
paper is folded over them. This is covered in most cases by thin board
strips, which are provided for basket shipment of vegetables of this
kind. In some cases, however, where shipped directly to customers so
that the baskets soon reach their destination, additional heavy paper,
instead of the board, may be placed over and around the larger part of
the basket, and then tied down neatly with cord.

=Placing the Mushrooms in the Basket.=--Some growers do not give any
attention to placing the mushrooms in the baskets. The stems are cut off
in the packing room, they are thrown into the weighing pan, and when the
beam tips at three