18 



mushroom house would be repaid by the profits accruing from the busi- 

 ness. 



In the culture of mushrooms there are open, to the enterprising with 

 small capital, four sources of profit : first, the sale of the fresh mush- 

 rooms ; second, the manufacture of mushroom catsup ; third, the canning 

 of the small button mushroom for exportation ; and, fourth, the manufac- 

 ture of spawn. 



It is well in this, as in all new industries, to begin in a small way, and 

 if success is attained it is easy to extend operations on a larger scale. 

 My advice to amateu.rs is to begin with one or two beds in a well-drained 

 cellar or shed where good ventilation and even temperature can be secured 

 at moderate cost. In the underground cellar economy is secured by the 

 saving in fuel. The beds can be made on the floor, flat, ridged or banked 

 against the wall, ten or twelve inches deep in a warm cellar, and from 

 fifteen to twenty inches in a cool cellar. The boxing for the sides and 

 ends may be built six or eight inches higher than the beds to give the 

 mushrooms plenty of head room. 



DIEECTIONS FOE PREPARING THE COMPOST FOR THE BEDS. 



Procure not less than a cartload of clean, fresh stable manure. Place 

 it under cover, to protect it from rain and drain water, mix well and heap 

 up the whole mass into a mound three feet high then beat the mound 

 firmly down to prevent undue heating. Repeat this operation every 

 other day until its rank smell is gone, taking care that on each turning 

 the outside dry manure is placed in the centre of the mound. By 

 this means the stable odor is dissipated while its heating properties 

 are equally distributed. Add to this from one-fourth to one-fifth of 

 clean, rich garden mould. Mix well. After this careful handling, the 

 mass may be considered fit for bedding purposes. When placed in 

 the beds the mass should be compacted again by beating with the back 

 of a spade or trowel. The bed surface should appear moist but 

 not wet, smooth and of firm consistence. From day to day it will be 

 necessary to test its general temperature by means of a thermometer. 

 To this end make at various places at different depths openings safii- 

 ciently large to admit the use of a thermometer. It will be found that the 

 temperature is highest nearest the bottom. Test at various points. At 

 first the temperature will run high ; 105° to 120° Fahrenheit is probably 

 as high as it will reach, but in a few days it will fall to 85° or 80° Fahren- 

 heit. At this point spawn the bed. For this purpose make holes in the 

 top of the bed about six inches apart and two inches deep with a blunt 

 dibble or broom handle. Place in these holes or openings a piece of 

 brick spawn about the size of a hen's egg, and cover the holes with ma- 

 nure ; finish by packing the same, keeping the surface of the bed smooth 

 and moist. The spawn should be slightl}' moistened before using. 

 Should the surface of the bed become dry, use water from a fine spriuk- 

 ling pan. The temperature of the cellar or house in which the bed may 

 be placed should range between 55° and 75°, and should not be lower 

 than 50°. If the spawn is good and all conditions attended to, the white 

 filaments should appear spreading through the bed within eight or ten 

 days after spawning. When the white spawn is observed on or near the 

 surface, cover the whole surface with from one to two inches of garden 

 loam well pulverized. A good general rule for spawning the bed is to 

 wait until the heat of the bed is on the decline and has fallen to at least 

 90° Fahrenheit. If the heat in the middle of the bed runs too high the 



