BUSINESS Business in Brief
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20 - MANCHESTER HERALD. Suturduv. Nov. :!>>. I'.iHi BUSINESS Business In Brief. Mushroom growing Johnson heads state group Can newcomers succeed where corporate biggies failed? William R. Johnson, president of the Savings Bank of Manchester, has been elected chairman By James V. Heallon cial mushroom grower In New of the Savings Bank United Press International England. Manchester, Gorin. Association of Rain tonight; Connecticut. FRA N K LIN — Five of the six came GROWING MUSHROOMS, which Monday, Nov. 28, 1983 The association late to farming, ancKthey learned one Julius Caesar called “ food for the and Tuesday Single copy: 25<f thing the experts apparently didn't and has as members 57 chosen," starts in the case of Franklin — See page 2 mutual savings that is you can't turn your back on Mushroom Farms with being able to bank statewide with mushrooms. subsidize an elaborate water treatment iKanrlirfitrr Utmli more than $18.8 bil It can be hazardous to corporate facility and pay a utility bill that runs to lion in combined health, as it apparently was for $1 million a year. assets. Ralston-Purina Inc., of St. Louis, Mo., The constant 10-week growing cycle Its executive com which cut its losses and sold its begins when 25 to 30 tractor trailers mittee comprises Connecticut mushroom operation after chock full of "stable bedding" steam representatives a $16 million misadventure. into rural eastern Connecticut from from all parts of the One of the people Ralston-Purina left New York racetracks, three hours behind with the “ stable bedding" used state, a> ■* away. Itism ixed with poultry litter and Johnson, who re to grow agaricus bisporus — the hay to start the compost in which the Columbia blasts off on schedule sides at 56 Weir St. commercial mushroom — was Wil mushrooms will flourish. The compost in Glastonbury, suc helm Maya, its chief grower. He liked itself is eventually sold as garden ceeds Edward P, mushrooms so much he wanted to buy fertilizer. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Two minutes later, the boosters paralleling the East Coast to Lbrenson, chair the company. It's stacked at first in 5-foot high (U PI) — The space shuttle Colum split away as planned to parachute achieve an orbit reaching farther man and chief exec ricks that stretch for 400 feet, 40 feet bia rocketed smoothly into a back into the Atlantic Ocean for north and south than American utive officer of Bris M AYA TALK E D to Francis J. Foley longer than a football field. Heat is preliminary orbit today carrying recovery by two ships. manned spaceships have ever tol Savings Banks, III, a lawyer in nearby Norwich, who generated and the straw begins to the new $1 billion European-built " I t ’s just super up here, just traveled. as chairman of the recommended his partner, Milton L. decompose. Nutrients are added. After Spacelab research station and "a beautiful," Young said. "Ourview William R. Johnson association. Jacobson. "He does commercial It is the most ambitious interna six days, the compost is mechanically record crew of six on a nine-day doesn't change any. It’s really work," Foley said. The more Jacobson packed 10 inches deep into 1,300 wooden tional space science project ever heard, the more he liked corporate mission to conduct dozens of something.” mounted. Researchers from 13 trays 4 feet by 6 feet. experiments. The five Americans in the Railroad reports loss agriculture. If done right, somebody It is trundled into huge vaults where nations expect an unprecedented plants something and they get a return The veteran shuttle, refurbished shuttle's crew wore American C- UPI photo it is steam pastuerized at temperatures scientific bonanza from the mis PROVIDENCE — A spokesman for Providence on their money. with more powerful engines. flags on the left shoulders of their sion, ninth for a shuttle but first for up to ISO degrees in a mist that suggests Streaked parailei to the East Coast blue flight suits. Merbold wore an and Worcester Co., parent of the Providence and Jacobson assembled a $3 million to some Edgar Allan Poe may be a the 23-foot-long reusable orbital Worcester Railroad, said “ continued sluggish Lisa Gatchek harvests mushrooms in growing bins at Fanklin as it climbed into an orbit reaching ESA patch containing tiny flags of deal. He persuaded two businessmen, silent partner in the deal. Six days laboratory. ness" in the local economy is partly responsible Mushroom Farms. A group of local investors believe they can farther north and south than each of the agency’s 12 nations. Peter Matthews, and John Timken of later, rye, millet, or wheat inoculated for aaei loss of $1,003,000 for the nine months that American manned spaceships The veteran shuttle, refurbished Because of the mission's interna the roller bearing family, as well as a make'a success of the operation where a major corporation with mushroom mycelium is automati ended Sept, 30. have ever traveled. with more powerful engines, tional significance, the ship was former state's attorney, Allyn L. failed. cally planted in the compost trays. Company Comptroller Barbara Dryer said Flight commander John Young, headed northeast on a course carrying scores of flags. Brown Jr., to join himself, Foley, and The thread-like mycellium climbs to increased competition from the newly deregu Maya. making his sixth venture into mushrooms to ship and nobody cared in 119 metric tons, in 1979 to more than the compost surface, hungering for lated trucking industry and other transportation space and second (light aboard "W e bought it. We're having a good St. Louis. There were several layers of 6,700 metric tons two years ago, the sustenance. A layer of peat moss a.nd have also contributed to depress operating Columbia, reported all was well as time with it. It's a unique business," overhead. We don't have that. Com Department of Agriculture reported. limestone about an inch deep is added revenues, creating a $1.01 loss per share. the winged rocket freighter passed Jacobson said. They took over Feb. 9, munications are a lot faster in our “ They're killing us," says a spokes over the next 13 days. Infant mush Freight revenues had been up more than 6 82 miles over Newfoundland. when Ralston-Purina's operation was operation." man for Rep. Richard T. Schulze, rooms, or “ pins," appear eight days percent ahead of those logged in the same period Then he reported the ship’s at one-third capacity with more than Matthews specializes in communica R-Pa., whose district includes the area after casing. Then they go into any of 45 in 1982, but Dryer said they dropped off red-brown external fuel tank had 300 jobs on the verge of disappearing. tions. He arranges for reporters to tour around Kennett Square, Pa., the growing rooms where they double in considerably during the third quarter when the been jettisoned as planned to fall How could six newcomers who, with the the 300,000-square foot plant and for besieged mushroom capital of the U.S., size every 24 hours. firm lowered prices to attract or maintain back Into the Indian Ocean. Two few exceptions, didn't know one them to meet food authorities like Carol and headquarters of the American customers. minutes later, at 11:12 a.m. EST, mushroom from another, the wild king Cutler, whose inviting new book, Mushroom Institute, which at present WHEN T H E Y ’RE R E AD Y to be Columbia's twin maneuvering bolete from the cultivated champig “ Pate: The New Main Course for the is without a director. picked, that's when you know Edgar rockets fired to push the ship into non, .succeed when the board room ' '80s," just happens to include some of “ The Chinese communists don't have Allan Poe is long gone. The pickers are Association elects woman the initial orbit. I connoisseurs were packing it in? her mushroom goodies. to worry about making a profit. Our young people and rock music booms "Looks pretty good,” Young F AIR FIE LD ■— Joan B. Hawkins, president of Some investment bankers might peopie do. If they lose money, it's made from radios in the stacks. It's hard and -said, talkng through NASA's new 0 . ' h i the B & H Tool Co. in Bridgeport, has been elected FIRST, they got the business at a question diving head first into mush up by the government. As for fresh dirty work. They are paid a basic wage good price and didn't have as much fracking and data relay satellite the first woman chairman in the 83-year history of room compost at this time because mushrooms, they haven't figured a plus an incentive. Most seemed pleased dor the first time. the Manufacturers Association of Southern investment to recover as Ralston- Castle & Cooke, Inc., another big way to get them over here quick to be working. Connnecticut. Purina did, Jacobson said. And, they company, opened and ciosed its Con enough," he said. "N o health problems," says Mat It is the most ambitious interna were prepared to take care of business, Ms. Hawkins was first vice chairman of the necticut operation in East Windsor a Franklin Mushroom Farms special thews of a business that has been tional space science project ever • >.■ said Matthews. association's board of directors before being few years ago. izes in fresh mushrooms and expects to known to produce lung ailments mounted. Researchers from 13 elected chairman. “Franklin Farms is really a family sell 12 million pounds annually. To elsewhere.