162 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. [CHAR VL 



air. When it is wished to form mushroom beds 

 in the open air, some stable manure, in which 

 there is a large proportion of straw, should be 

 procured in May, or in June, and it should be 

 thrown into a large ridge, in which it should be 

 suffered to remain till the folio wins; August, 

 after which it should be treated in the following 

 manner, according to the advice of my neigh- 

 bour Mr. Hopgood, of the Craven Hill Nursery, 

 who has been Ions; celebrated as a mushroom 

 grower. 



" If a bed be required to bear in October 

 and November, the manure must be spread 

 out to the air in the last week of August, and 

 well beaten to pieces, that is to say, out of the 

 flakes it will be in when taken from the ridge ; 

 the whole mass being afterwards watered till 

 it is well moistened. This will make it ferment, 

 and when it has become of a nice heat, it should 

 be carefully turned over, mixing the whole 

 well together : if it be not quite wet enough, 

 pour more water over it. Afterwards, it should 

 be turned over every two or three days according 

 to circumstances : if the manure be very hot, 

 every second day ; but if only moderately hot, 

 every third day. When the violent heat is 

 abating, which will be in about ten days or a 

 fortnight, the bed should be made up imme- 

 diately in the following manner : let it be three 

 feet wide at the bottom, about three feet high, 

 and of a conical form; let it be beaten very 

 solid all the time it is being built; and when 

 completed, let it be covered over with mats to 

 get up the heat. As soon as there is sufficient 

 heat in the bed the mats should be taken off 



