MUS 



383 



MUS 



as soon as all the fertile flowers are set, 

 the end of the spadix, an inch or two 

 above the last tier of perfectly set fruit, 

 should be cut otT. When the upper 

 tier of fruit on the spike begins to 

 change colour, totally discontinue wa- 

 ter, both at the root and over head." — 

 Gard. Chron. 



bulbous perennials. Offsets. Sandy 

 loam. 



MUSHROOM. Agaricus campestris. 

 To produce mushrooms artificially, beds 

 variously constructed are employed. 



Times of forming the Beds. — Beds 

 may be constructed I'rom .Tanuary until 

 the beginning of May, for spring and sum- 



M. coccinea. The cultivation of this mer production; and from .July to the 

 species is thus detailed by Mr. G. Wat- close of the year, for autumn and winter. 



son, gardener at Norton Vicarage: 



;™ 



Construction. — A bed is usually con- 



" In the latter part of February, plant "tructed of stable dung, &c., prepared 

 in pots five or six inches in diameter, \ as already directed for cucumbers. It 

 well drained, and the drainage covered [ is made in the form of the roof of a 

 with a little moss. Plunge the pots into house, four or tive feet wide at the base, 

 a bottom heat between 60'^ and 70'^. narrowing to an apex, which should be 

 Water freely, but give no more water rather rounded, three or four feet high, 



and the length from ten to fifty feet. 

 The dung being laid in alternate rows, 

 with clayey loam, from which the largest 

 stones have been sorted ; each layer of 

 dung to be a foot thick, and of loam 

 four inches, so that three layers of each 

 will be sufficient to complete the requi- 



than the jdants can take up from the so 



As soon as the pot is filled with roots, 



shift the plant into a pot a size larger. 



After it has filled this pot with roots, a 



final shifting into a pot at least sixteen 



inches in diameter may be given, and 



two or three suckers may then be left 



on the plant, which will succeed the site height. The dung must be well 



centre or principal plant in blooming. 

 At this last shifting, pot as many suckers 

 in the same way as may be required for 

 succession plants. The plant is grow- 

 ing vigorously in this pot; cover the 

 surface of the soil with moss, and place 

 the pot in a shallow pan of water, and 

 water it at least once or twice a day. I 

 continue to keep the plant growing till 

 November, after which I gradually get 

 it into a dormant state, by withholding 

 water during winter. It is allowed to 

 remain dry till the soil separates from 

 the edge of the pot, and may thus be 

 kept in a cool green-house till spring. 

 The suckers taken ofl" at the last pot- 

 tings, after being shifted into pots ten 

 inches in diameter, and thrown into a 

 dormant state at the same time as the 

 old plant, will not only be much better 

 ■wintered in the green-house, but will 

 flower much earlier. In those parts 

 where suckers are left on the mother 

 plant, the centre will bloom by the be- 

 ginning of May, and the suckers will 

 flower in succession during the latter 

 end of July and August, the latest 



separated and mixed, and beat, but not 

 trod down. When completed, the bed 

 must be covered with litter or other 

 light covering, to keep out the wet, as 

 well as to prevent its drying; clean dry 

 straw will do, but sweet hay, or matting, 

 is to be preferred. 



Situation. — The bed should be mado 

 in a dry sheltered situation, and on the 

 level ground in preference to founding 

 it in a trench, which prevents the spawn- 

 ing being performed completely at the 

 bottom, and guards against the settling 

 of water, which may chill it. If the site 

 is not dry, it must be covered with 

 stones, clinkers, &c., to act as a drain ; 

 for nothing destroys mushrooms sooner 

 than excessive moisture, except an ex- 

 treme of heat or cold. To obviate the 

 occurrence of these unfavourable cir- 

 cumstances, it is by far more preferable 

 to construct it under a shed. If it is 

 constructed in a shed, it may be built 

 against one side, sloping downwards 

 from it. To proceed with greater cer- 

 tainty during the winter, a fire flue may 

 pass beneath the bed; but it is by no 



flowers keeping fine till Christmas. In- ' means absolutely necessary, for by the 

 stead of taking off suckers in the spring, I due regulation of covering, it may 

 leave two or three on the mother plant ' always he keptof sufficient temperature. 



till July, then take them off, and treat 

 them in the same manner as the succes- 

 sion plants of the previous year." — 

 Gard. Cliron. 

 MUSCARI. Eleven species. Hardy 



Management . — The spawn must not 

 be inserted before the temperature has 

 become moderate. 



Temperature. — The minimum is 50'^, 

 and the maximum Co". Insert the 



