207 



DIRECTIONS FOR THE SUCCESSFUL CULTURE OF THE 

 MUSHROOM. 



Tnii value of the Mushroom as an article of 

 food has long been known; and in the 

 autumn, hawkers, in the neighbourhood of 

 large towns, annually realise considerable 

 sums by its sale. This, and the high prices 

 which they fetch when they cannot be col- 

 lected out of doors, has induced many to 

 pay attention to the artificial cultivation of 

 the Mushroom, who before thought little 

 about it, and now Co vent Garden is well 

 supplied with them all the year round. The 

 stimulus thus given to Mushroom culture, 

 the increasing demand for spawn, and the 

 numerous inquiries as to how to treat it, from 

 those who have no propel Mushroom house, 

 have induced us to think that the following 

 instructions might be of service to such 

 as are about to commence the growth of this 

 much esteemed esculent : — 



Horse droppings from the stable, having 

 the long litter separated from them, should 

 be collected ; spread these rather thinly in 

 an open shed or under cover of some kind, 

 and turn them over occasionally, the object 

 being to keep them dry and prevent their 

 heating; when a sufficient quantity to make 

 up a bed has been got, about one-third of 

 the bulk of dry turfy loam may be added 

 and mixed with the droppings. 



Mushrooms may be grown in summer in 

 any dark shed, outhouse, or cellar, and even 

 out-of-doors ; but in winter, where there is 

 no Mushroom house, a warm cellar is 

 required. Having prepared the place for 

 the bed bring in the mixture, and let it be 

 well trodden down, for the closer it is put 

 together the longer will the bed keep in 



bearing. It should be from a foot to eight - 

 teen inches deep. When complete let it 

 remain a week or so to ascertain how it 

 heats. If the droppings have been carefully 

 dried, however, the heat will never be very 

 great. To ascertain the right heat for 

 spawning, place the bulb of a thermometer 

 five or six inches deep in the bed ; if the 

 heat rises above 110 degrees, holes must be 

 made thickly in the bed to let out the heat. 

 If, however, the bed does not get warmer 

 than 90 degrees, or so, it may remain for a 

 few days, when it may be spawned at once. 

 Pieces of good fresh spawn, an inch or two 

 square, should be inserted in the bed three 

 or four inches deep, and about nine or ten 

 inches apart. If there is any indication of 

 the led heating again, leave the holes open 

 for a few days, after which close them, and 

 beat all down firmly. The bed may now be 

 earthed over with dry turfy loam and 

 lightly covered with dry hay. If all has 

 gone on right, the Mushrooms should appear 

 about six weeks after spawning. Should 

 the surface of the bed become dry-, sprinkle 

 it over with tepid water, but the less water 

 at this early stage the better. A good bed 

 will generally keep in bearing six weeks, and 

 if a partial cessation should occur, a good 

 watering with tepid water and covering the 

 surface with hay for a week will generally 

 induce a second supply. 



When one bed begins to yield another for 

 succession should be prepared, so as to keep 

 up a continuous supply. — From Butler mid 

 JFC'vlloch's C<(talor/ue. 



MESPILUS (NESBRIS ?) JAPONICA. 



The query of Ignoramus must be put in 

 error. What is Nesbris ? Is such a generic 

 name anywhere to be found, and is it at all 

 surprising the "Floral World" should 

 say, "we have no knowledge of this plant?" 

 Suppose a correspondent were to write an 

 imperfect description of a fuchsia, saying, 

 " it has dark green leaves, a flower remotely 

 resembling a Turk's cap lily, and a fruit 

 like a cranberry, but egg-shaped, and its 

 name is Buchsias ;" would not the gravest 

 horticultural brain declare, "we know it 

 not? " Nesbris has a very genuine look at 

 first, and one would rather question one's 

 own knowledge, than suppose the writer to 

 be in error. But suppose we alter it to Mes- 

 pilus, then we have a large-leaved tree, 

 producing a fruit that might be bought in 

 Jermyn-street, and that, from seed sown in 



June, 1S55, might reasonably measure 12 

 inches in the stem in July, 1858. Mespilus 

 is a member of the great family of Pome- 

 worts, and is simply a Medlar — and who 

 would expect a Medlar to lead one into a 

 fog? Mesjrilus Japonica is a handsome 

 tree, bearing large leaves, and quite hardy. 

 As the plant referred to, may have been 

 rather tenderly treated, it would be better not 

 to turn it out this winter, and if Ignoramus 

 wishes to fruit it quick, a bud from it should 

 now be entered on a pear or hawthorn 

 stock, already flourishing in good loam. It 

 would make a pretty orchard-house tree, if 

 grown on in a pot, and this winter it would 

 be well to prepare a thorn or pear stock in a 

 pot, expressly to bud with it next season ; 

 still keeping the original on its own roots 

 Prune it the same as a pear. S. II. 



