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Abstract: Sawdust, as a raw material for mushroom growing, has received slight attention in the literature (1, 2, 3, 4 ). Rempe (3) reported yields of 2.5 lb/sq ft. with 8-inch deep beds of composted beech sawdust. He stated sawdust compost, correctly made, "is a full substitute for horse manure compost." He added, however, that "it is more simple to compost horse manure of a good quality if cheap and available." Relative to cost, Rempe estimated a saving of 50% over manure in costs of hauling sawdust and in the labor of the composting process. He noted that some German growers had extraordinary results with sawdust, whereas others had failed with it. At the Fourth Mushroom Congress, one of us (Block) spoke to a German grower who had conducted trials of sawdust compost. He informed us that, while good yields were obtained, (up to 3 Ib/sq ft) they were not consistent, and there was trouble with nematodes. Therefore he discontinued its use. Kux and Rempe (5) published a paper noting the nematode problem in sawdust. Our favorable preliminary results with Agaricus campestris (bisporus) on composted sawdust (4) led us to this more extensive investigation.
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