Amino acids and urea in the cultivated mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, were studied as changes in chemical composition may influence the nutrition and alter the quality of the mushroom. Amino acids were assayed by column chromatography, while urea, total nitrogen, and dry matter were determined by conventional methods in alcohol extracts and fresh tissues. Where gelatin was added to the compost, the amounts of alanine, ammonia, and arginine decreased, but aspartic acid increased. With the addition of hydrolyzed casein, arginine decreased. In the extracts, both the sum of the nitrogen in the various compounds and the total nitrogen by the Kjeldahl method increased toward the end of the growing cycle. Calculations showed 79% to complete recovery of nitrogen in the alcohol extracts. Mushroomshave for centuries been prized as a delicacy. They are known as a food of excellent nutritive value, low in calories and relatively high in proteins and amino acids.Fitzpatrick, Esselen. and Weir (5) found that the total nitrogen content was 0.5%, (fresh weight basis). of which 63% was in the form of protein. Workers at the University of Massachusetts investi-

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