40 



CANADIAN FARM YEAR BOOK. 



custom is to make two such beds in 

 contact, and then to leave a walk 

 way of 8 or 10 inches between the 

 next two, and so on till the space is 

 occupied. Next to the walls slanting 

 beds may .be prepared. 



Spawning. 



After the beds are preipared the 

 temperature should be, and it usoially 

 will be, too high for spawning. After 

 a sijdden rise the temperature should 

 gradually fall during the course of a 

 week or more to about 70° or 75° F. 

 At this temperature spawning may 

 take place, but under aJbsolutely no 

 circumstances should a bed be spawn- 

 ed at a temperature greater than 80° 

 F. If brick s-pawn is used, the bricks 

 are broken into pieces about 2 inches 

 square, or into from 10 to 12 pieces 

 per brick. These pieces are inserted 

 from 1 to 2 inches below the surface, 

 about 10 inches to 1 foot apart, and 

 the bed is then compressed into final 

 shape. Under the most favorable cir- 

 cumstances it is unnecessary and un- 

 desiraWe to water the beds for sev- 

 eral weeks after spawning, or until 

 they are loamed or cased. If they 

 dry out rapidly and some water is 



necessary, it should be given as a 

 surface spraying, for water in quan- 

 tity applied to the young spawn will 

 almost invariably cause the latter co 

 damp off. 



Casing the Beds. 



An examination of the bed about 

 two weeks after spawning is desir- 

 able, and if it is found that the spawn 

 is "running" the beds may be cased 

 with loam. Casing consists in apply- 

 ing a layer of loam from 1 to 1^ 

 inches deep to the surface of the bed. 

 This loam should have been secured 

 some time in advance and carefully 

 worked over or screened to get rid 

 of the largest pebbles, lumps, and 

 trash. When applied it should be 

 barely moist. Subsequently, if wat- 

 ered at all, it should be merely sprin- 

 kled in order to prevent any drying 

 out of the bed. Neither a heavy clay 

 nor a sandy loam should be used for 

 casing purposes, but almost any other 

 soil is good. 



As previously indicated, the spread- 

 ing spawn should receive no water, 

 or, at least, as little as possible. 

 When, however, the mushrooms are 

 dry stprinkle lightly, especially after 

 picking. 



