Dr. James W. Sinden was one of Pieter's mentors

SINDEN ON MUSHROOMS 

HAUSER

Pieter received this book from one of his mentors, Dr. James W. Sinden, with a neat fountain pen written message inside...

Sinden on Mushrooms

Collected Papers by

Dr. J.W. Sinden and Associated Authors

Sorry for the 'odd' scan by me, using the iPad as the previous scanner did constantly interfere with my Mac, we recycled it!

It was Fred C. Atkins (see previous post below) who wrote the INTRODUCTION

This is just part of the collected papers as I don't want to bore you with that...

Just on the side, writing a book (original content!) or publishing a compilation and adding other authors is not the same!

Just as Roel Dreve from Mushroom Business here stated about writing a comprehensive mushroom cultivation manual. You had Bels (Pieter's boss) and Atkins (the one my previous post was about) and Kligman and later Van Griensven. But the latter and Vedder's book seem to have stood the test of time and are still being sought–after today.

Well, the late Fred C. Atkin's books are STILL BEING SOLD but for decades L.J.L.D. Van Griensven's book has not been available.

And, as Amazon UK, here above correctly states, he was not the writer but the EDITOR!

As written in the Dutch Champignoncultuur 1968-6 (click for ISMS uploaded Pdf) about a visitor at the Experimental Station in Horst where one of the youngest employees made the mistake to explain to a visitor how one lets spores germinate to make mushroom spawn... The visitor said that she knew 'something' about it as she was the famous Dr. E. Hauser

Erica Hauser, 1913 - 1977 ←click link

She was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and she married Ulrich Hauser

She later married Dr. James W. Sinden...

Husband Pieter has met Erica Hauser, while on vacation in the German Schwarzwald, he paid a visit to their laboratory in Gossau, Switzerland, and she graciously had arranged a very nice hotel room for all three, including little adopted daughter Lizzy.

For several decades Dr. James W. Sinden got married to Edith Sigel

Yes, I too have personally met Dr. James W. Sinden and Edith Sigel.

My previous writing about Harvesting, got dedicated to DR. JAMES W. SINDEN

the man who meant so much to us and everyone in the industry.

In our latest published book: modern mushroom growing 2020 - harvesting there are 9 mentions of Dr. Sinden and this one on page 411 is a very special one.

Pieter used this picture, received from Dr. Sinden, made through an electronic microscope, from the surface tissue of mushroom caps (enlargement 2,000x). On the left, clean hyphae without bacteria; on the right, tissue loaded with Pseudomonas bacteria, causing the brown blotch.

We received a letter note from Edith Sigel-Sinden from February 20, 1995

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Vedder,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter of condolence and the special Valentine greeting. I appreciate your kind sympathy. It is comforting to know so many care and are sharing their fondest memories of Dr. Sinden with me, I treasure them. They sustain me. I am happy the Sinden Award was an outstanding event for Pieter. 

Dr. Sinden touched so many lives in so many special ways.

All Best wishes for continued success and happiness.

Sincerely,

Edith

Indeed, for Pieter receiving the prestigious Sinden Award, named after Dr. Sinden, was the highlight of his career!

October 7, 1982 when Pieter was the very first non British recipient of the prestigious Sinden Award.

Pieter is pictured here with Dr. Jim Sinden.

Published in 1983-1 The Mushroom Journal (click for ISMS uploaded Pdf)

Dr. Sinden was honored by mushroom-growing associations throughout the world, as well as by the International Society for Mushroom Science (ISMS) for 50 years of dedicated service to the industry in 1980. In addition, the Sinden Awards were established by the Mushroom Growers Association of Great Britain: One is presented for the most outstanding practical contribution to the mushroom industry in research, development, advisory work, communications, and leadership.

From a publication in The American Phytopathological Society (APS) James W. Sinden, 1902 to 1994

Lots of fond memories and Dr. Jim Sinden's name will live on forever!

Fred Atkins' book Mushroom Growing To-Day helped Pieter Solve Yellow Mold & False Truffle Problem | he wrote the Introduction in Sinden on Mushrooms

modern mushroom growing 2020 - harvesting - published in Mushroom Business | previous post where Roel Dreve mentioned writing a book by Van Griensven but he ONLY Edited a book!

1982 Sinden Award for Pieter at The Hotel Majestic, Harrogate, England | Pieter receiving his prestigious Sinden Award

1978 - P.J.C. Vedder's Modern Mushroom Growing Book Published in English | previous post with Pieter's publication that also got sponsored by Sinden - Hauser

{What YOU should LOOK for when Buying Fresh Mushrooms} | with mention of my previous writing about Harvesting, which got dedicated to DR. JAMES W. SINDEN

Techniques for Harvesting Quality Mushrooms  & Gratitude to Mushrooms Canada | where we refer to a publication by Dr. Jim Sinden in my video at 1:19:55 about big transplants being put between small mushrooms, causing them to stay dormant.

Fred Atkins' book Mushroom Growing To-Day helped Pieter Solve Yellow Mold & False Truffle Problem

 

Mushroom Growing

To-Day

Fred C. 

Atkins

Being a student at the Wageningen University & Research, Pieter frequented this bookstore in Wageningen. They stocked mainly horticultural books.

That was the very FIRST book about mushrooms that Pieter laid his hands on and it helped him solve a major problem early on.

The first pioneering Dutch A.B.C. mushroom growers (in special growing rooms); B. Ambrosius, P. Broekmans  and J. Christiaans, had terrible molds that caused enormous production losses. Pieter found in Fred Atkins' book that it was yellow mold and (false) truffle. He then was able to solve their problem! 

Printed in the Dutch mushroom journal Champignoncultuur 1957-3 on page 36 uploaded by the ISMS as Pdf.

WHAT TO STEAM WITH IN MUSHROOM CULTIVATION?

By P. J. C. Vedder, assistent State Horticulture Information Service.

~

Pieter was officially still an Assistent at State Horticulture Information Service, specialized in Asparagus.

But Fred Atkins' book kind of changed Pieter's destiny forever!

The 1955 version

J

AUTHOR'S NOTE, Yaxley, July 1955

Mentioning other mushroom growers and authors of books and articles: B. A. Noble, Stanley Middlebrook, Coryn Luxmoore, André Sarazin (see mention of blog post below), Guy de Man (see mention of blog post below), Dr. R. L. Edwards, Dr. J. W. Sinden, Dr. E. Hauser, Dr. E. B. Lambert and Dr. A. M. Kligman, McGregor Bulloch, John Stewart-Wood, S. A. F. Sampson, Raymond Thompson etc.

This is Pieter at the time being that Assistent at State Horticulture Information Service. Wearing his Plus Fours to a wedding reception of one of his colleagues.

AbeBooks is offering the very book, only an earlier 1952 version...

In the Dutch Champignoncultuur 1958-6 on page 159 the mushroom farm of Noble-Atkins in Yaxley, UK is shown as they had an excursion from The Netherlands.

In Champignoncultuur 1958-7 on page 180 is a story written by Fred Atkins, translated into Dutch.

My life with the mushrooms

A piece of history of the mushroom cultivation in England

My first contact with growing I had twenty years ago. My father had just invested money in Ben Noble to allow him to build six mushroom houses in Yaxley, a village near Peterborough in the Midlands. The first shot was, of course, a hit; a good harvest! But a period of humid weather had the appearance of a small difficulty as a result, which was shown to me, only as a peculiarity. Six months later, 'the little difficulty' had spread to such an extent that I was asked to join the firm, in the hope that a fresh look would reveal what caused it and how it could be suppressed.

I hesitated because I didn't know anything about mushrooms. Later, I would discover that few people in England knew more about it. I discussed the problem with the spawn manufacturers and with traders in all kinds of horticultural products, but the most valuable help came from the late Dr. W. M. Ware, of Wye College, Kent.

You will wonder what this has to do with the general situation in the mushroom industry in Great Brittain? If you allow me some vanity: I believe it has a lot to do with it, because Ware gave me a copy of his wonderful article about the cause of our disease: Verticillium.

A mycological dictionary and a lot of correspondence with Ware and other people of science opened my eyes and my mind to the wondrous world of microscopic small organisms I had entered.

This in turn aroused the desire for me to talk to other growers about it, but in fact  I did not meet a second mushroom grower in the next five years: so fantastic in those days was the mystery that surrounded us. When I finally met two or three other growers, we were overwhelmed by a passionate desire to do something that would bring all growers together. My own company had lost a lot of money because there was no organized contact between the growers and the scientists, and because there was no coordinated research and experiments. 

Page 181

Within a year we had formed the Mushroom Growers' Association for the Mushroom Industry. We were walking around with plans for the MGA Bulletin (Mushroom Growers' Association)...

Page 183

For just over 90,000 Dutch Guilders we received a very satisfactory publicity last year, mainly because the growers are enthusiastic and because we have one grower on our daily board, who is a journalist by profession and another who is a first class cook, whose mushroom pie is so delicious, that he does not dare to advertise it.

Fred C. Atkins (the journalist!)...

Message by Fred C. Atkins in the 1979-9 The Mushroom Journal

Loyal and active till almost to his death...

ATKINS, Fred (1913-1983)

Chairman, Noble Mushrooms, Yaxley, Cambs. Founder member of Mushroom Growers Association of Great Britain and N. Ireland. President, International Commission on Mushroom Science (ISMS).

Times 28 Jan. 1983.

An OBE is a British honor awarded by the Queen to recognize extraordinary contributions to the country.

It is the second-highest ranking in the Order of the British Empire honors.

Obituary as printed in The Mushroom Journal, March 1983

In 2018 Pieter got gifted by one of his Campbell Colleagues this book about COMMERCIAL MUSHROOM GROWING by M.H. Pinkerton

1954 and Printed in Great Britain

Pinkerton mentions some more mushroom industry pioneers such as Dr. James W. Sinden (will mention him next)...

Dr. C. A. Thomas and Dr. E. B. Lambert

Dr. A. M. Kligman, Dr. R. L. Edwards and Mr. F. C. Atkins bottom left. Editor of the M.G.A. Bulletin, an indefatigable writer, whose many books, pamphlets, and articles have kept the British Mushroom Growers abreast with all the newest advances in the science of Mushroom Culture.

Dr. James W. Sinden reviews Guide to Muhroom Growing by Fred C. Atkins

Published in The Mushroom Journal, January 1975

The Mushroom Journal 1978-10 click link

Mac also did the cartoon for husband Pieter in 1971 at Imperial College in London, see link below post. 

~

F. C. Atkins deserves a lot of honor as he accomplished so much!

Pieter counted him among his very special friends. 

Above is a letter, received after Pieter sent him a copy of his newly released English book.

Fred had an excellent and very polished writing style; using great courtesy.

Something the younger generation(s) are lacking nowadays...

I myself, have not had the honor of meeting or knowing him in person...

P.J.C. Vedder's 1987 Design for NEW COMPOSTING SYSTEM (Phase I) | mention of Pieter's grades at wur.nl - Wageningen University & Research 

Husband Pieter met with Darlington Spawn Makers and Fred Atkins in England | previous post

Visiting A.G. Linfield Mushroom Compost Facility in England | previous post that mentions Pieter being still Assistent at State Horticulture Information Service specialized in Asparagus

1982 Sinden Award for Pieter at The Hotel Majestic, Harrogate, England | 1st non British to receive this prestigious award

1965 Pieter visiting French Mushroom Grower André Sarazin near Historic Compiègne | Together with Belgian spawn representative Guy de Man Pieter visited André Sarazin

1978 - P.J.C. Vedder's Modern Mushroom Growing Book Published in English | letter from Fred C. Atkins upon receiving Pieter's English book with inscription and Mac's cartoon from husband Pieter

Back into the Past in Rural North Georgia

 Coming back from our visit to Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, north Georgia I made a stop here at a crossing I'd passed in the morning...

HAD to capture this!

Don't you love the tractor?

Even if it had no engine...

Right on the crossing with Yellow Creek Rd and Conns Creek Rd in Ball Ground, Georgia

You can see the border line with the State of Tennessee above left and North Carolina above right.  The State of Alabama to the left... South Carolina to the right.

It was about one hour north of Marietta.

We had looked forward to finally visiting in person the Bernhards German Bakery

We always get their fresh baked Spelt bread shipped out to us, sliced and ready for stocking up our freezer and enjoying fresh.

They also have a restaurant but 'Danielle' did not allow us to sit inside... so we took our goodies back to our Hyatt Regency Suites Northwest Atlanta (border of Marietta), only about 8.5 km down the road, where we enjoyed them.

My Coconut Bearclaw was not 'American' sweet so I could sin for once and it was very good.

So was Pieter's Spinach/Cheese Croissant!

As per executive order our Georgia Governor had lifted Covid restrictions...

Unfortunately, many cafés, restaurants and others in the tourism industry have suffered way too long!

Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest | previous post

Our Visit to Gibbs Gardens at Ball Ground, North Georgia | our visit to the Gardens