Mushroom 



growth above ground of the Mushroom. It follows that if we do not 

 begin the cultivation with seeds or spores, we must resort to the 

 white films or ' mycelium,' that the growth of the plant may begin in 

 Nature's own way below ground. What is called ' Mushroom Spawn ' 

 consists of certain materials from the stable and the field, mixed and 

 prepared in such a manner as to favour the development of the 

 mycelium of the Mushroom. When dried the cakes have the appear- 

 ance of an unburnt brick. The preparation of the spawn, though a 

 very simple matter, demands the skill and care of experienced opera- 

 tors. If the work is not well done, the spawn will be of poor quality, 

 and will yield a meagre crop, or perhaps fail entirely to produce a 

 single Mushroom. When the spawn is good, it has but to be broken 

 into lumps of a suitable size, and inserted in a bed of earth of the 

 requisite quality, to impregnate the whole body of earth with the 

 necessary white films. These will take their time to collect from the soil 

 the alkalies and phosphates of which Mushrooms principally consist, 

 and this part of their work being done, the fruits of their labours will 

 be displayed above ground in the elegant and sweet-smelling fungus 

 that few human appetites can resist when it is placed upon the table 

 in the way that it deserves. Experts can readily form an opinion as 

 to whether a cake of Mushroom spawn is or is not in a fit state for 

 planting, and it will be a safe proceeding for the amateur to buy from 

 some House which has a large and constant sale ; otherwise, spawn 

 may be purchased which was originally well made and properly 

 impregnated, but has lost its vitality through long keeping. 



As to soil, it is well known that in a favourable autumn Mush- 

 rooms abound in old rich pastures, and those who have command of 

 turf cut from a field of this character have only to stack the sods 

 grass side downwards for a year or two, and they will be in possession 

 of first-class material for Mushroom beds either in the open or under 

 cover. But small gardens, particularly in towns, have no such bank 

 to honour their drafts, and for these it becomes a question of buying 

 a load or two of turfy loam, or of making the soil of the garden 

 answer, perhaps with a preliminary enrichment by artificial manure. 

 In the general interests of the garden, the money for a limited 

 quantity of good loam would probably be well spent, independently 

 of the question of Mushrooms. No great bulk is necessary to 

 cover a moderate-sized Mushroom bed, but the quality of it will 

 certainly have an influence on the number and character of the 

 Mushrooms. As a proof of the exhaustive nature of the fungus, 



81 G 



