IRISH GARDENING 



m: 



I low to Cir()v\' Mushrooms. 



I'.y W . I). HiSANI, Ciiiiajjii Cir.iiiiro ri.-iidoKs, KilUaro. 



Tills " risinj;' " esLHilciil may he i^rowii 

 alniost aiiywliere — in a cellar or o]\ a 

 warm wall oi a stable prm itleil i1k' 

 retiuircmeni^ ol the phuil are supplietl in a 

 reasonable deyree. 



In ami arouiul lari;e towns in Britain and on 

 llie Continent nuislirooms are extensively 

 "^•rown lor market supplies, and when snceess- 

 I'ldly i,'rown Ihey pay exceedinj^ly well. in 

 lulinhnri^li, Uir instance, mushrooms are lartj'ely 

 thrown in tunnels unilornealh some dl the 

 principal streets. The three chief points in 

 i^rowint;' mushrooms are a suitable temperature, 

 p ro pe r p le pa ra t i on 

 o{ the manure, am! 

 last, but not least. 

 ,i;ood spawn. 



Outdoor C" f i.- 

 iiKi;. — To i;et an 

 unbroken supply ol 

 mushrooms from 

 o u I il o ii r b e tl s 

 1 h rou^ ho u t t h e 

 year may be a ditli- 

 cidt matter to many 

 growers, but it is 

 quite possible \\ here 

 the suit able material 

 is .It li:nul. The 

 m.auure must be 

 plentilul, a suitable 

 place for drying; the 



same must be fotmd, ami the inaleri.il must 

 be thoroughly prepared. Sufiicient manure 

 for making a bed should be collected .it one 

 lime, if possible, as mixing old with freshly 

 gathered manure is not a good practice. The 

 horse droppings shoukl be gathered from the 

 stables, with ihe longest litter shaken out. .\ 

 fair amount oi short litter is benelici;d, as it 

 helps the beds to continue in bearing tor a 

 longer period. Ihe whole when collecteil 

 should be laid out in a shevl in a ridge about 

 three feet deep, and tiuMied every mor?iing for 

 a week or ten days, .\fter that time the heat in 

 the manure will be on the decline ; w hen turn- 

 ing e\ erv third or tourth morning will be 

 sullicient. In about three weeks the material 

 will be re.uh' for making up the bed. Almost 

 an\' position will ilo tor niiiking' the bed, except 



Ml SM HOC IMS. 



|->erh.ips in the middle o( summer, when the 

 coolest spot should be selected, such as under 

 a north wall. The bed should be ridge-shaped, 

 starling with anything f.-om three to five feet at 

 the base, tapering gradu,illy to a narrow ridge 

 at the top. 1 1 should consist of four parts of 

 the fermented manure and one part finely-sifted 

 loam well mixed together ; the bed sliould be 

 treaded and beaten as hartl as possible. The bed 

 will soon begin to heat, and some means must 

 be used to find out when the heat is on the 

 decline, as until then it is not safe to spawn 

 the beds. When the temperature is on the 

 ilecline and anywhere between 75 degrees and 

 So degrees it is safe to spawn. Thermonieters 

 can be obtained for the beds, but a stick or two 



inserted in the bed 

 will give a very 

 good idea of the 

 h e .1 t b y b e i n g 

 simply pulled out 

 antl felt with the 

 hand. When the 

 bed is lit to spawn, 

 break up the spawn 

 into pieces about 

 the size of a hen's 

 egg, insert these 

 pieces all o\er the 

 bed about four 

 inches deep and 

 nine inches apart, 

 cinering them in 

 witli horse drop- 

 pings. In about a 

 week's time cover the beds over with two 

 inches ol iinely-sifted soil, moisten this and 

 be;it down with a spade ; now cover the bed 

 with a good laver of fre.sh stable litter. Of 

 course, in cold weather, or if beds have been 

 prepared in .\ugust for winter bearing, ample 

 protection must be afforded. During hot, dry 

 weather in summer frei-iuent watering ot the 

 beds will be required (this summer there has 

 been no necessity) twice a day even, on a very 

 hot day. For keeping up a continual supply 

 il is much belter to make up small beds 

 frequently than to depend 011 one or two large 

 beds. From the time of spawning till the beds 

 are in bearing is roughly about six weeks. 



In-door Culture.— There is absolutely no 

 necessity for a special mushroom house, as any 

 cellar awav from the dwelling will do, and there 



