AprU 9, 1874. I 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE QABDENEK. 



289 



leaving it like so much tliick mortar ; lay the whole up to 

 dry for a time, and afterwards proceed to make it up into 

 bricks of about a foot long, 8 inches wide, and 2 inches thick. 

 A wooden frame of that size should be provided for the pur- 

 pose, and this should be laid ou a firm floor and the material 

 rammed into it, first sprinkhng a httle sand over it to prevent 

 the material from clinging to the frame. Cut the sides off 

 even, and when the required number of bricks are made lay 

 them in an airy place to dry, taking care they do not touch 

 each other. When they are about half dry they are fit to 

 receive the spawn, and for this purpose each brick should be 

 perforated with two or more holes half way through ; these 

 holes may be 2 inches in diameter ; fill them full of spawn 

 tightly, and add a little of the cow manure plastered over them 

 to keep it in its place. After all is done make up a thin bed of 

 half-spent horse dung on the floor, and upon this pile-up the 

 bricks the same as is done with unburued bricks in a brickyard, 

 and as openly as possible, so that the heat may circulate amongst 

 them. Let the whole terminate in a point, whether the stack 

 is in the form of a ridge or otherwise, then cover with a foot 

 thick of the half-fermented dung ; this will give a gentle heat 

 through the pile of bricks, and will set the spawn working 

 through them. They should be frequently examined, and 

 when they have the appearance of white mould they may be 

 taken out and preserved in a dry place to be iised as wanted. 

 Take care that the spawn do not get too far advanced, for if it 

 should become developed into numerous white threads visible 

 to the eye, it cannot be depended on for a crop. 



The spawn of the Mushroom being obtained, I now come to 

 the cultivation, and this is done upon beds made for the pur- 

 pose either in a regular Mushroom house heated artificially or 

 in sheds and cellars, also in frames on half-spent Cucumber 

 and Melon beds, and in the open air. For all these different 

 modes, which I will take in the order they are named, the pre- 

 paration of the materials is about the same. It is this: Collect 

 the necessary quantity of fresh horse dung that has not been 

 previously exposed to wet or fermentation, and clear it of long 

 straw, leaving only a little short Utter, which will do no harm ; 

 add to the manure about one-fourth of its bulk of half-rotten 

 leaves, and if likely to be too light or spongy, add a small 

 quantity of dry mould, otherwise do not use this ; lay these 

 materials under cover to ferment. The heap should be turned 

 about twice a- week tUl the rank heat has passed off ; after that 

 proceed to make-up the bed. This should bo done by degrees 

 in layers of 2 or 3 inches each time, and each layer should be 

 well beaten together until the whole bed is formed into a solid 

 mass from 8 inches to a foot thick. Make the surface of the 

 bed as even as possible, and take care that the bed is as firm 

 at one place as another, so that the heating may be regular. 

 Beating the beds firm is a very essential point in Mushroom 

 culture in whatever plan they may be made, for if the bed is 

 not beaten the little Mushrooms will just show themselves ou 

 the surface and then disappear altogether. 



After the bed is made, thrust a trial stick or two into the 

 body of it, or to some a thermometer would, perhaps, be a 

 safer guide to ascertain the correct heat ; when this has de- 

 clined to between 80° and 90°, and your judgment, from the 

 working, leads you to believe that the heat will not increase, 

 yon may spawn the bed. This is done by making holes about 

 3 inches across, the same in depth, and 8 or 9 inches apart ; 

 fill each hole quite halt fuU, or even more, of spawn, and if 

 it is in one sohd piece it will not matter ; press in the spawn 

 firmly, and fill each hole up with some of the material of 

 which the bed is made. Beat the whole bed over again and 

 make the surface even. About a fortnight after the spawn 

 has been introduced examine it, and if it is found vegetating 

 freely in the bed, it is a good sign that it is going on well ; 

 sometimes it will take longer than a fortnight, but seldom less. 

 "When the spawn is in full working order cover the bed with 

 IJ inch of rich loam, make it even over the surface, and beat 

 it firm. The soil should not be too wet nor too dry, but in a 

 medium state as regards moisture, so that when beaten it may 

 exhibit a smooth solid surface. If the earth is too dry and of 

 a loose texture it is not so favourable to the growth of the 

 Mushrooms ; they are apt to become weakly, of inferior quality, 

 and they cease to appear much earUer than would otherwise be 

 the case. 



After the bed is thus finished-off the temperature may range 

 from 50° to 55", and the light should be excluded. Maintain 

 this temperature till the first crop attains perfection, when it 

 may be reduced a few degrees till they are gathered, then 

 advance the temperature again to the former standard ; and 



if the heat is declining very much, place a layer of soft 

 l;ay or straw over the bed, and a second crop will no doubt 

 appear. Proceed in this way till tha bed is exhausted. In the 

 meantime it may be found necessary to apply water. This 

 work must be done with caution in regard to the quantity 

 given, the manner of applying it, and the temperature. If 

 water is applied too freely it will destroy the spawn, and if given 

 cold or in (juantity it will be likely to destroy all and render 

 the bed useless. The water used should be of the same tempe- 

 rature as the house, and it should be sprinkled either with a 

 fine-rosed pot or a syringe, and when the beds become dry, as 

 they are liable to do in heated houses, it is much better to 

 apply the water lightly at several different times than to give 

 one heavy watering. 



Before going further I may as well say a word or two upon 

 the gathering of Mushrooms. Some say they ought to be cut 

 out, while others say they should be pulled or twisted out. I 

 am of opinion that there is very little to be said in favour of 

 the former practice, excepting where the Mushrooms are in 

 such thick clusters as not to be easily separated. Cutting 

 leaves a portion of the stem to decay and breeds diseases among 

 those remaining, as I have proved it does more than once ; but 

 when gathering is effected by a quick sudden twist no injury 

 is done to anything, and the small hole that is left ought to 

 be immediately filled up with dry earth. 



For the present I will leave this mode of cultivation and take 

 up that in sheds and cellars. I have before remarked that in 

 whatever place Mushrooms are grown the materials for the 

 beds are the same ; but there is this difference— there must be 

 more in bulk to make up both for the absence of artificial heat 

 and the fact that a loss of heat will take place owing to the bed 

 being surrounded by cold air, and from sudden changes in 

 temperature. One advantage of sheds and cellars is, that the 

 season of growing the Mushroom is considerably prolonged 

 beyond that attainable in the open air, thereby offering ad- 

 vantages to those who have no better convenience. Beds in 

 these places should be made up in the shape of a triangular 

 ridge, from 5 to 7 feet wide at the bottom, and from 3 to 5 feet 

 high at the ridge ; but other forms wOl do as well, provided 

 the requisite conditions of temperature and protection are 

 secured. The ridge shape, however, offers the advantage of 

 cropping on both sides of the bed, which other shapes do not. 

 In whatever way they are made, the same attention as to 

 firmness and other details must be bestowed upon them as 

 advised for beds in the Mushroom house. After the bed is 

 made-up a thick layer of straw or other protecting material 

 should be put ou, in order to keep it at as regular a temperature 

 as possible. After the spawn is working, and afterwards 

 until the Mushrooms show themselves through the soil, the 

 heat of the bed ought to be examined ; and if this and the 

 temperature of the surrounding atmosphere be below 45°, 

 a little assistance should be given in the way of a heap of 

 heating material in the centre of the shed ; and if the shed is 

 not constructed to close-up, the open space should be closed 

 by other means. Another advantage in having a ridgs-shaped 

 bed is that it can be spawned at two different times. 



I now come to Mushroom-growing in Cucumber and Melon 

 frames ; and this, I may say, is only attempted in the absence 

 of any other convenient plan for growing them under protec- 

 tion. I have grown them very well in such frames after the 

 Cucumbers were done with, by just taking out the soil to a 

 depth sufficient to hold enough heating material to start the 

 spawn, and the after-treatment was precisely similar to that 

 for house culture. By adopting this method much time is 

 saved in collecting material, and a little crop of this kind often 

 comes in useful on an emergency. 



As to the open-air beds the season for them is short; but 

 if they are formed of a good size and length, and spawned 

 at two or three different times, Mushrooms will be produced 

 for a considerable period. The first bed may be made-up in 

 April or May, and two or three others, according to their size, 

 during the summer in proper succession. The great difficulty 

 in out-door beds is to maintain an even temperature, and to 

 protect from wet. The one thing needful is a thoroughly good 

 protection, and plenty of it at hand; this must be worked 

 according to the temperature — off' or on, thin or thick, as 

 the case may be ; and to protect from wet the addition of mats 

 or boards will be necessary to throw it off, otherwise the same 

 rules must be observed and worked out as regularly as for any 

 other mode of cultivation. Market gardeners are in the habit 

 of growing in open-air beds large quantities of Mushrooms, 

 which have the reputation of being superior in flavour to those 



