SPAWNING AND CARE OF BEDS 



it might be well to give greater depth, and 

 to use a small amount of fresh manure at 

 the bottom, with the hope of maintaining a 

 slight and fairly uniform bottom heat. This 

 method of procedure is often followed in the 

 open-air cultures in England, as noted 

 earlier. 



Between making and spawning beds. 

 With the installation of the beds of com- 

 post, vigilance is again required in the mat- 

 ters of moisture content and temperature. 

 The compost must remain moist. If there 

 is rapid drying at the surface, it must be 

 sprinkled; but in a suitable cellar or mush- 

 room house little attention to watering 

 should be necessary during this interval. 

 However, the one practical test of sufficient 

 moisture is a simple one : it is merely to com- 

 press some of the compost in the hand; and 

 under such pressure it will not be easy to 

 squeeze from a properly prepared compost 

 any drops of water, yet the hand will be dis- 

 tinctly moistened. This usually denotes a 



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