52 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



terranean pits under Paris and elsewhere, by making them in high 

 narrow ridges, so as to present the largest possible amount of bearing 

 surface in a given space, as is graphically described and illustrated 

 in Mr Robinson's book, ' The Parks and Promenades of Paris.' 



The shelves may be of any convenient length or width, but we con- 

 sider 9 inches abundantly deep enough, for a great body of dung is not 

 at all necessary to successful Mushroom-growing ; indeed we are satis- 

 fied that, like thick beds of fresh tan in Pine-growing, much mischief 

 and disappointment are caused by over-thick beds heating and steaming 

 and fermenting after they are made up and spawned. We believe that 

 Mushroom-growing, like Pine-growing, is a much simpler gardening 

 feat than is generally supposed, and that overdoing the thing is the 

 cause of much failure. We therefore recommend the bed of dung to 

 be always less than a foot thick ; we find it amply sufficient. 



The shelves of our house are divided into sections 9 feet long by 

 4 feet wide, which we find a very good arrangement ; and by making 

 up sometimes one and sometimes two divisions a fortnight, a regular 

 supply of Mushrooms comes in, we believe sufficient to supply the 

 largest family ; for no family that we know requires Mushrooms by the 

 peck per day, but most cooks can do with two quarts of good Mushrooms 

 daily. If the house is well constructed or is under ground, very little 

 heating is necessary ; two pipes, however, should pass along the house to 

 be used when occasion may require. Some ferment the dung inside 

 the house, from which a moist heat is derived ; but this we do not prac- 

 tise, preferring the pipes when necessary. We have also grown good 

 crops of Mushrooms with the assistance of flues carefully heated. The 

 second essential to ^Mushroom-growing is stable manure from hard-fed 

 horses, as the dung is then in a hard and dry state when brought from 

 the stable, and it is no doubt richer than the dung from horses fed on 

 green food or slops. If possible it should be brought from the stables 

 direct, without being exposed to rain or allowed to lie in a heap long 

 to ferment. When brought to the garden the roughest of the litter should 

 be shaken out and the manure spread out in an open shed not too thick, 

 to prevent its heating, for we deprecate the practice of throwing up 

 the manure in a heap to heat, ferment, and dry. By that means all the 

 best qualities of the manure are dissipated. It should never be violently 

 heated, never made black by fermentation, and never should show the 

 whitish mould attending highly-heated horse-manure: rather aim at 

 keeping the dung cool, and sweeten it by once or twice turning it in a 

 stratum not exceeding 18 inches deep on the floor of the shed. Three 

 good barrow-loads of dry sandy loam should be mixed with every cart- 

 ful of the dung, which soon absorbs the extra moisture and fixes the 

 ammonia. We keep a large pile of dry maiden loam under cover for 



