i8g6. 



GARDENING. 



379 



MUSHROOM GROWING IN COLD CELLAR. 



this clean horse manure I put one load of 

 soil to three of manure, and, like the 

 strawy mai ure, kept it turned over often 

 to keep it from burning aud drying out. 

 1 made a sort of a box bed in the floor of 

 hemlock boards, making the bed twenty 

 inch s high. The strawy manure was 

 then put in the bottom and tramped well 

 down, nine inches of it. then four inches 

 of the clean manure mixed with soil on 

 the top. This was^left for a few days till 

 the teirperature of the bed had declined 

 to ;(r>°. The bed was then spawned, put- 

 ting the pieces of spawn abput nine inches 

 apart. A good size to make the spawn is 

 to cut a I ake in about fifteen pieces. I 

 put the spawn about an inch and a half 

 deep into the manure bed. After the bed 

 was spawned 1 went over it again and 

 firmed it well with the back of a spade. 

 The bed was then allowed to stand in this 

 way foreight days, when 1 put on a layer 

 of soil an inch deep all over it and firmed 

 it down with a spade; that finished the 

 work. I then got some straw and filled 

 in the rest of the bed. The bed being 

 twenty inches deep that left an empty 

 space of about six inches over the straw. 

 I put some boards over it and left it in 

 that way for six weeks; the straw wa.s 

 then cleaned off and lath strips nailed 

 across the bed to let the boards rest upon. 

 The boards were then put over the bed 

 as close as they could be placed and some 

 old bags put over the boards so that the 

 frost could not get near the bed. After 

 the first crop was taken a layer of soil 

 mixed with old cow manure from an old 

 pasture and put through a half inch sieve 

 was put on; justenough to cover the bed. 

 Mushrooms seem to like cow manure for 

 a top dressing, as I tried part of the bed 

 with soil alone and the other part mixed 

 with cow manure, and by far the best 

 crop was taken off where the cow manure 

 was. I tried this in ditTercnt ways and 

 found that the crop did best where the 

 soil and cow manure was used for a top 

 dressing. Of this bed there were seven 

 spurts or crops cut, and the little snap 

 shot picture I send you was taken when 

 the fourth crop was past its best. 



The house was kept very dry, that is to 

 say no water was allowed to spill on the 

 floor while we were watering the beds. 



Beds in a cold cellar do not need a great 

 deal of water. I only watered mine after 

 each top dressing, but when I did water 

 it I gave it a good one, using a fine spray 

 for the purpose. If your cellar is large a 

 good way is to put a load of hot manure 

 on the floor. This raises a nice moist 

 heat. Next winter I mean to keep a load 

 of it on the floor of my cellar all the time, 

 renewing it as the heat declines. In cold 

 cellars very little air is needed before the 

 warm days of spring come, then I give 

 plenty of it. If your manure gets too dry 

 before 3'ou make up yovir beds don't be 

 afraid to put the hose on to it, as dry 

 manure is not nearly so good as moist 

 manure. I always give each barrowful 

 of manure a pail of water as I bring it 

 out of the stable, and this seems to make 

 it right. Be sure when you pick a crop 

 that you pick it clean; if there are any 

 dead mushrooms pick them out by the 

 roots, then top-dress the bed. Now is the 

 time to get your manure together before 

 cold weather comes; it will help you out 

 greatly. I made up my first bed the 25th 

 of .\ugust; I expect to be able to pick 

 mushrooms bj' the end of October. 



David Fkasek. 



Mountain Side Farm, Mahwah, \. J. 



Mushrooms in the Cellar. — P. W. S., 

 Kansas City, writes: "I have now taken 

 (Gardening for two years, and have be- 

 come a little interested in the mushroom 

 articles, and want to try my hand at it 

 this fall, provided I can. I have a cellar 

 about 18x.35 feet under the dwelling, and 

 have thought of using this, but my wife 

 is afraid it will be unhealthy, and before 

 going further into the matter 1 wish to 

 know whether such will be the case. It 

 never freezes in the cellar and would be a 

 good place if there is no danger from 

 living over the beds." Aos. This subject 

 is handled in our book. "Mushrooms; 

 How to Grow Them," If the manure is 

 properlj- prepared before it is put into the 

 cellar there will be no offensive odor from 

 it, neither will it be unhealthy. But don't 

 introduce rank, fresh, hot manure into 

 your house cellar. Prepare the manure 

 in a shed or elsewhere away from the 

 house, and when it is ready for building 



into beds spread it out to cool, then bring 

 it into the cellar and make up the beds 

 with it. After the beds are cased with 

 earth there can not be anything offensive 

 emitted from them. 



The Fruit Garden. 



FRUIT TREES FOR AN fllHflTEUR'S GARDEN. 



No more difficult task can \k assigned 

 one than to formulate an infallible list of 

 fruits for the entire country. It is the one 

 subject upon which fruit growers in dilfcr- 

 ent sectionscan not agree. The following, 

 however, may be depended upon in most 

 districts of the Middle States as com 

 bining good quality with reliability in 

 producing crops: 



FOR TWELVE APPLES. 



In the proportion of three summer, 

 three autumn and six winter, a good sug- 

 gestive list might be given as follows: 



Yellow I ransparent,one of the Russian 

 varieties, heads the list for earllness. It 

 is a pleasant juicy fruit of medium size, 

 and commences bearing at an early age. 

 Red Astrachan is now too well known to 

 describe, but its fine size, beautiful red 

 color, and rich acid flavor entitles it to 

 extensive notice. Early Harvest is another 

 po])ular old apple of undoubted merit, 

 with a handsome yellow skin, pleasant 

 sprightly flavor, and abundant crops. 



For autumn the Gravenstein must not 

 be omitted in any list. It is large, showv, 

 with a fine sub-acid flavor, and is alto- 

 gether first class. Thejefferis is simplv 

 unsurpassed by any fruit of its season. 

 In size rather large, prettily striped, very 

 rich, tender and juicy, the Maiden's 

 Blush is an old popular variety of uii 

 doubted excellence, succeeding well every- 

 where. Its cooking qualities are also of 

 the best. Skin yellow with a bright red 

 cheek. 



For winter, we must of course stai t 

 with the well known Baldwin, although 

 the fruit is liable to drop before the 

 proper picking season. However its pro- 

 ductiveness, good quality, fine appear- 

 ance and long ke, ping quality, render it 

 indispensable. Ben Davis is' the great 

 apple for the south and west, as well as 

 being profitable in the eastern states. Its 

 large size, handsome striped skin, and 

 good quality make it very popular where 

 known. In the Smokehouse we have a 

 Pennsylvania fruit that leaves little to be 

 desired. Large and beautiful, with a rich 

 flavor, it is indeed difficult to surjiass. 

 The York Imperial is another Pennsyl- 

 vania apple that always does well, and 

 so far as known succeeds well in all sec- 

 tions of the country. It is of large size, 

 white shaded with crimson, with a firm] 

 crisp, juicy flesh and sub-acid flavor. It 

 keeps well into spring. Grime's Golden is 

 not so well known as its merits deserve. 

 .\lthough only of medium size, its rich 

 golden-yellow color, crisp, tender, juiev 

 flesh and peculiar aroma, combine to 

 make it one of our very best winter 

 appl s. For the sixth variety of late 

 keepers I should select persoiiallv the 

 Dickinson, having knownit well for'manv 

 years. Size very large, beautifully streaked 

 with red, with a mild sub-acid "agreeable 

 flavor. The other candidate for this 

 position would possibly be Paragon or 

 Arkansas Black, which closely resembles 

 the old Winesap, and keeps well until 

 .\pril. It is very vigorous, hardy and 

 ])roduetive. 



FOR TEN varieties OF PEARS, 



Ripening from early to late in the season , 

 the Manning's Elizabeth although small 



