THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 207 



sufficient quantities to be profitable. To keep up a succession 

 throughout the whole year, a fresh bed should be made every two 

 months, or oftener if there is a large demand for them. 



la gathering the mushrooms, great care should be taken not to 

 disturb the small buttons that surround the stem of those which 

 are more early matured. The best method is to cut them off, and 

 then cautiously twist out the remaining portion of the stems, which 

 can be easily done without injuring the others, with a careful hand. 

 The base of the stems must not be allowed to remain, for they soon 

 rot and do a lot of mischief. 



Very good crops can be had out-of-doors, where labour and 

 materials for forming the beds are plentiful; but there is so much 

 litter attached to outdoor beds, and the results are so precarious, 

 as to render the outdoor cultivation of mushrooms unfit for private 

 places. I have frequently had good crops through the winter, by 

 spawning the melon-beds after the old vines are removed, and 

 keeping a steady temperature of 55° or 60'\ as advised for the mush- 

 room. The surface ought to be covered with dry hay, but I have 

 frequently kept plants in the frame and then had plenty of mush- 

 rooms without taking any especial care of them. To insure a 

 regular supply, a house devoted especially to their culture is 

 essential, as extemporized contrivances are likely to break down just 

 at the time when the crop is more particularly required. A few 

 good dishes may be had by growing them in pots or boxes. These 

 should be three parts filled with the same material as was recom- 

 mended for the bed ; the earth and the spawn the same — in fact, 

 just the same in material and making. The pots or boxes may be 

 placed in a hotbed made of leaves and dung. A flower-pot full of 

 mushrooms is a very pretty object, and with a bell-glass over it, it 

 makes a very attractive and interesting ornament for a drawing- 

 room. 



PREPARING- STRAWBERRY PLANTS FOR FORCING. 



BY WILLIAM COLE, 

 Head Gardener, Ealing Park, Middlesex. 



j]N the January number of the Floral World, I ventured 

 to offer a few remarks upon the management of Straw- 

 berry Plants, during their stay in the forcing-house. It 

 is a 'well known fact, though not always acted upon, 

 that unless the plants are strong, and the crowns well 

 ripened by the autumn, it is impossible to have a good crop the 

 following season. With the permission of our worthy Editor, I now 

 propose to offer a few suggestions that may be useful to those who 

 are desirous of getting up a stock for next year. It is like putting 

 the cart before the horse, to treat upon that part of the subject 

 which relates to forcing first, and the preparation and growth of the 

 plants afterwards ; but be that as it may, I feel assured that a few 



