302 



GARDENING. 



June 15, 



now been in bearing for over a mouth 

 and the mushrooms are the largest I have 

 ever seen, many of them weighing over 

 six ounces, and this after the stems were 

 cut off. 



The beds was prepared in a very simple 

 way, the manure having no preparation. 

 Long strawy manure was used to put in 

 the bottom of the bed, just as it was 

 taken from under the cow barn; it was 

 very hot but none of it burned. Nine 

 inches of this was used, tramping it well 

 down. On the top of this three inches of 

 decayed cow manure was placed; this had 

 very little heat in it but the bottom part 

 being so warm we knew it would be all 

 right. Three da}-s after the bed was put 

 in the temperature of the bed had gone up 

 to 117 '■'; thirteen days after the bed had 

 been put in the temperature had declined 

 to 93°. It was then spawned and eight 

 days later soiled over in the ordinary 

 way. The manure consisted of chopped 

 corn stalks, shavings and straw; these 

 corn stalks have lasting heating(|ualities; 

 this was <|uite noticeable where they 

 were used in the making of hot beds and 

 banking around the cold frames. I also 

 notice that beds cased partly with dry 

 cow manure last much longer in bearing 

 than beds cased with soil alone. A bed 

 that was put in last September in this way 

 is still giving quite a few mushrooms, and 

 promises to do so for some time to come. 



Many people ask us how to grow mush- 

 rooms, thinking there is a great art in 

 it, but this is not so; they are as easy to 

 grow as a head of cauliflower in the gar- 

 den, if you have the material and this in 

 proper condition. We were a little par- 

 ticular about the first beds we put in it 

 taking us over a month to get the manure 

 ready; we went to the stable every morn- 

 ing, got all the pure horse manure, shak- 

 ing out all the straw and turning over the 

 heap twice a day. But that is a thing of 

 the past. Our present bed was all pre- 

 pared and made up in half a day, and is 

 giving better returns. We will give the 

 cow manure a more extended trial when 

 we start our beds in September again. 

 After having kept careful notes of my beds 

 for the past two years, the make up and 

 care of them I have found the following 

 to be the best way to make up abed. Ten 

 inches of hot wet strawy manure in bot- 

 tom, three to four inches of more decayed 

 manure that has had some soil put in it, 

 say one part to five, well mixed up 

 together, and the whole well beaten in. 

 Spawn when the temperature of the bed 

 is at 95°, case eight days later with two 

 inches of soil to which has been added 

 one part of dry cow manure. Cover up 

 bed with straw. If it should get dry give 

 a good watering, not a sprinkle but a 

 watering. At this season of the year 1 do 

 not see that it makes any difference 

 whether it is cold or water that has the 

 chill taken off. I use cold but in winter I 

 use water at the temperature of about 

 95°. Preparing beds in this way I have 

 yet to record a failure, David Fraser. 



Mahwah, N. J. 



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