460 THE GARDENER. [Oct. 



preventing crowding of shoots, and giving water only when absolutely 

 necessary. Mushroom beds maybe made where droppings can be had 

 from the stables : a little straw mixed with them is not objectionable : 

 turfy loam helps to keep the heat long in the bed. The manure re- 

 quires to be moderately dried before it is used, and not allowed to 

 evaporate the virtue out of it. Burning of the material by letting it 

 lie in heaps must be strictly avoided. Use a layer of manure about 1 5 

 inches or less in depth, thoroughly beaten firm, and when the heat 

 stands about 75° to 85°, the spawn (after being broken up in pieces 

 the size of hen eggs) may be placed regularly over the bed about 9 

 inches or more apart, and 1 or 2 inches below the surface. When it 

 is certain that the bed will not heat violently, let it be beaten with 

 the back of a shovel, and 2 inches of good healthy loam placed over 

 and made firm and smooth. The bed may then be covered with an 

 old mat or dry hay, and if all is right the Mushrooms will appear in 

 the course of five to eight weeks, according to the heat of the bed. 

 Water need not be given till the Mushrooms appear, and then it should 

 be tepid, and the soil only moistened. 



Fruit-gathering will now require attention : if any are allowed to 

 fall on the hard ground and be bruised, they should be kept separate 

 from those which are to be stored for keeping late. When placed in 

 the store-room, plenty of air should be admitted for a week or two, then 

 the structure may be kept close and dark. When fruit-trees are to be 

 planted, let the pits be made wide, and, if it can be had, a quantity of 

 fresh loam placed in with the roots. If there are any broken roots, let 

 them be cut clean below the break ; if any are long and naked, they may 

 be cut well back, so that plenty of fibre may be thrown out. When 

 planting, place the roots on the level of the surrounding soil, and add 

 8 or 10 inches over them. Stake the tree firmly, if it is a standard, 

 so that it will not move the roots by the force of wind : a quantity of 

 litter placed over the whole is necessary to keep out frost. If planting 

 is done against walls, the stems of the trees should be kept 8 inches 

 or so off the walls, so that in the course of time they may have room 

 to grow. Fruit-trees when planted in firm soil make sturdy growth, 

 and come more quickly into bearing. Concrete placed in the bottoms 

 of the pits, 2 or 3 feet wide, will cause the roots to turn outwards ; and 

 when root-pruning may be necessary, it is easily performed without the 

 necessity of lifting the tree. If trees are to be chosen at the nurseries, 

 those which have been often cut back and have been pruned, with 

 pieces of wood left on, which are known by knife-men as "snags," 

 should not be accepted as a gift, as disease is almost certain to lay 

 hold of them. This hint is most applicable to Peaches, Apricots, and 

 Cherries. It is well to ascertain what kinds of fruits suit the 



