Vegetable Growing for Market 



119 



should have a stick marked at 14 and 7 in. for a 7.-in bed, which is a 

 good average depth, or 12 and 6 in. for a 6-in. bed. The surface the 

 bed is to lie on having been levelled, the outside of the heap should be 

 cast on top as before, and manure thrown into a small heap in front of the 

 larger. The barrows should then be loaded from this smaller heap, which 

 will ensure good mixing. This point of thorough mixing cannot receive 

 too much emphasis, for on it will depend the uniformity of the bed in 

 moisture and temperature. The contents of the barrows should be tipped 

 out a little way in front of where it is to be laid, in order to give the 

 workmen a clear space. It should not be pitched down by the forkful, 

 but thoroughly shaken and scattered, lightly pressing it down to the 

 14- or 12-in. mark, keeping the ground cleared up, and using the stick 

 frequently to test 

 the depth. Behind 

 the workman lay- 

 ing down should 

 come a man to tread 

 the manure in a 

 systematic manner, 

 putting plenty of 

 weight on the heels, 

 and working in 

 lines forwards and 

 backwards across 

 the bed. The fol- 

 lowing day the bed 

 should be brushed 

 over with the back 

 of a fork and then trodden twice more, thermometers being inserted after- 

 wards in various places. If they rise to between 70 and 75 F. during 

 the next two days, and remain fairly constant, spawning may commence. 

 It is not wise to leave the thermometers in a few places only, they should 

 be shifted about several times: there may be a few hot places in the bed. 

 Should the temperature exceed 80 it is better to wait a little. If it still 

 rises, holes should be bored in the bed at intervals of 1 ft. and the surface 

 lightly pricked up. As soon as it drops below 80 it is safe to spawn, 

 but a bed that does not rise above 75 gives the best results. Care should 

 be taken that moisture does not condense on the top of the bed; the 

 surface should be roughed with a fork. 



Spawning" the Mushroom Beds. It is worth while giving a little 

 attention to the condition of the spawn; for a hot or wet bed hard cakes 

 do best; for a cold or dry bed, green or soft cakes should be chosen. 

 Cheap spawn is not necessarily cheapest in the end. Good spawn costs 

 very little more per house, and usually makes a great deal of difference 

 to the crop, not only as regards quantity, but also in quality. It is usual 

 to break the cakes into six pieces, but the best quality can be broken into 



Fig. 479. A " cake " or " brick " of Mushroom Spawn 



