IRISH GARDENING. 



35 



be tiinied every "second or third day for about a fortnight. 

 This will encourag'e uniform fermentation and allow the 

 rank-smellinjc tJfases to escape ; afterwards, when pressed 

 firiiih' toufether in beds or boxes, the material will heat 

 mildly, and retain its heat for a lonj4" time. It is not 

 absolutely necessary for success, but in practice I have 

 found by mixing; with the prepared material before 

 makintf it up about one-fourth of its bulk of fibrous 

 loam, the beds yielded more and better mushrooms, and 

 continued in bearing- longer. 



Fi^RMATiON OF Beds. — Select a firm, dry floor in 

 unheated structures ; ram the material firmly together 

 to a depth of from i6 to 24 inches. The colder the 

 position the deeper the bed should be. Mid-winter beds 

 require to be deeper than autumn and spring beds. In 

 heated structures 12 to 18 inches will be quite deeji 

 enough. If the material is rammed thoroughly firm, the 

 tempei-ature of the bed will not rise much over 90 degrees 

 F. in four or five da\'s. When the temperature has 

 fallen to about 80 or 85 degrees the beds may be 

 spawned. 



Spawning. — Good spawn is absolutel\' neccessary. 

 Spawn is sold in 

 bricks, 16 to the 

 bushel, and can be 

 purchased from re- 

 liable firms for from 

 5s. to 6s. per bushel. 

 Break the spawn 

 into pieces about the 

 size of a hen's i?gg, 

 and insert these all 

 ovei- the bed, about 

 3 inches deep and 

 6 inches apai t ; then 

 fill up the holes and 

 level the bed. If 

 there is no danger 

 of the heat of the 

 bed rising, it may 

 now be soiled over. 

 A safer plan, how- 

 ever, is to cover 

 the bed with hay or 

 strawy matter for a 

 few days ; if the 

 heat rises the hay 

 can be removed, if 

 it does not it is safe 

 to soil the bed. 



Soiling consists 

 of covering the 



whole surface of the bed about one inch deep, preferably 

 with fresh, fibrous loam, but any ordina'-y soil will do 

 if the loam is not to be had. Make it quite firm and the 

 surface level ; then lightly water the surface, and smooth 

 with the back of a spade so as to seal the surface of 

 the bed. When the temperature falls to 70 degrees 

 cover with long litter or other material ; do not let the 

 bed at any time fall below 55 degrees F. Mushrooms 

 should show in about six weeks, and continue to come 

 for about two months. The abundance of the crop, and 

 the length of time of bearing will depend upon the 

 three factors — well prepared material, good spawn, 

 and even temperature. 



Watering. — Conserve all the moisture possible in the 

 bed ; the less watering required the better ; however, the 

 bed must not be allowed to get over dry. When water- 

 ing must be done, use it as a means of heating the 

 bed and of stimulating the mycelium of the fungus. 

 Water through the covering and not directly on the bare 

 surface of the bed The water may be given at a 

 temperature of 90 degrees. As a stimulant nothing sur- 

 passes the urine from dry-fed horses, diluted with twelve 

 times its bulk of water, adding to each gallon of this 

 one ounce of common salt. Where urine is not available 



Illustration showing the complete Mu: 

 ashed awaj-, so as to display the ma: 

 mushrooms " in dilTerent statres of d 



sulphate of ammonia may be given at the rate of one 

 oiuice to the gallon of water. 



Outdoor Ciltivation.— Prepare material as for 

 indoor culture ; make up into ridges, which, when 

 thoroughly rammed, should be at least 30 inches wide 

 at bottom, 30 inches high and 6 inches wide at top. 

 P'ollow out directions as already given for spawning and 

 soiling. Cover thoroughly with long litter ; put over 

 this mats or other material that will thi-ow off the rain 

 and tend to keep in heat and moisture. A common 

 practice in gardens where melons and cucimibers are 

 grown is, early in August, to insert spawn about 5 inches 

 deep in the melon and cucimiber beds ; when the 

 melons and cucumbers are over large quantities can 

 be gathered ofTthe beds. 



Gathering the Mushrooms may seem a simple 

 process, but like most things there is a right and 

 wrong way of doing it. They should be gathered 

 clean off the surface, not cut ; cutting leaves the 

 stumps to rot, the rottenness spreads to the mycelium 

 and prevents further growth of mushrooms. The art 

 of gathering consists in removing the mushroom with 



the least possible 

 disturbance to the 

 mycelium and 

 younger m u s h - 

 (•ooms. In gather- 

 ing, if a hollow or 

 hole is left in the 

 bed, press in firmly 

 a little sweet, fib- 

 rous loam ; this will 

 induce the mycelium 

 to run more freely. 

 [Note. — The my- 

 celium of a fungus 

 is the delicate 

 thread-like growth 

 that develops from 

 the "spawn" and 

 r e m a i n s under 

 ground. The 

 threads are massed 

 closely together, 

 forming slender in- 

 terlacing cords of 

 a whitish colour. 

 It represents the 

 feeding organ of 

 the body of the 

 fungus, and from 

 it in due course the 

 tiny pimples arise that gradually develop into the 

 "button" stage of the "mushroom." This mycelium 

 may be used — indeed is used — to propagate mushrooms. 

 Just as fragments of the underground runners of twitch 

 grass or convolvulus can give rise to new plants, so 

 can the mycelium produce new crops of the fungus. 

 The mycelium may be dried (as in the manufacture of 

 the commercial " bricks ") and still retain its vitality 

 for some time. The bricks are formed of the mycelia 

 ind the organic soil in which they were grown for 

 propagation purposes. — -Ed. /. G.] 



^^f ^^ ft^^ 

 Note on Preparation of Mushrooms for Table. 

 —Owe of the best methods is to stew them in milk. For 

 each half-pound of mushrooms use i oz. of butter, i oz. 

 of flour, and half a pint of milk, together with pepper, 

 salt, cayenne, and a few drops of lemon juice. Then 

 melt the butter in a stewpan, stir in the flour, add the 

 milk, salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice ; skin and re- 

 move the stems from the mushrooms, and drop them into 

 the sauce. Let the whole stew gently until the mushrooms 

 are tender. Remove every particle of butter which 

 may be floating on the top before serving.— E. D. L. 



jhroom Plant. The soil has been carefull 

 ss of underground mycelia and the edibl 

 ;lopment. (After Atkinson.) 



