SPAWN-MAKING 



sary to make the brick in moulds somewhat 

 larger than these dimensions in order to 

 make allowances for shrinkage upon drying. 

 It will not be possible to give detailed di- 

 rections governing spawn-making under all 

 conditions; indeed, the methods of spawn- 

 making may be diverse, and no one system 

 is preeminently best. 



Materials and methods. The compost 

 used is customarily a mixture of stable- 

 manure, cow-manure, and sometimes a small 

 quantity of loam. The mixing of these ma- 

 terials is done after composting. It is be- 

 lieved that at least two-thirds of the material 

 used should be stable manure free of heavy 

 straw, and good success for home use has 

 been obtained when this material was used 

 alone. However, a considerable admixture 

 of cow manure gives a more compact brick 

 and encourages a mould-like rather than a 

 thread-like texture of the mycelium. Sev- 

 eral machines have been successfully used 

 in the making of brick. In general, how- 

 ever, hand moulds are employed; then sub- 



107 



