THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Mushrooms continued. 



year round. In respect to habitat, Mushrooms may be 

 met with in all situations where decaying or dying 

 plants occur, or where the soil is full of organic 

 matter. Hence, they are most abundant in forests, on 

 the soil, and on dead or dying trees; and some species 

 prefer woods composed of certain kinds of trees 

 thus, forests of Firs and other conifers are particularly 

 rich in Mushrooms. Agaricus affords examples of pre- 

 ferences of all kinds, some even growing on dead plants 

 of other species of this genus, others in open places, 

 but most in woods. The sub-genera usually show a 

 preference for some one kind of habitat, e.g., Amanita 

 and Coltybia prefer woods; Lepiota and PsalUota, open 

 places ; Omphalia, swamps ; and so forth. Cantharellus 

 prefers grassy spots in woods; Coprinus, the neighbour- 

 hood of mankind ; Hygrophorus, open places, such as 

 meadows and moorlands, even high on the sides of 

 mountains; Hydnwn, the shade of woods; Bussula, soil 

 in open places in woods. Polypori are almost confined 

 to woods, or to dead logs. 



Mushrooms preserve badly as fossils ; hence, com- 

 paratively little is known of them in this state, though 

 a few, e.g., Potyporus lucidus, have been found semi- 

 fossilised in the later formations. 



CULTIVATION. The cultivation of the common Mush- 

 room (Agaricus campestris) is invariably work of great 

 importance in gardens, a Bnpply being generally expected 

 from those wherein the means of cultivation are at 

 command. Conditions requisite for securing good crops 

 seem, in many instances, to be of an exact descrip- 

 tion, while, in others, excellent results are attained 

 when only ordinary attention is bestowed in prepara- 

 tion. This may partly be attributable to the seasons, 

 natural temperatures, and other matters being favour- 

 able or otherwise to Fungus growth. Gardeners expe- 

 rienced in Mushroom culture, know with tolerable 

 certainty, how a bed is likely to succeed from the time 

 it is made up and spawned; but there are many cul- 

 tivators, noted, maybe, for their success in other depart- 

 ments, who, from one reason or another, frequently fail 

 to secure satisfactory results from their efforts devoted 

 to Mushroom culture. There are various causes to which 

 failure may be attributed, if any of the numerous details 

 in cultivation are improperly executed. Attention from 

 the first in the preparation of manure, is one of the 

 most essential points ; then, its condition when made 

 into a bed, respecting the temperature likely to be 

 reached by fermentation ; afterwards, and hist, but not 

 least to omit a special reference to minor matters the 

 quality of the spawn. Mushrooms are far more exten- 

 sively grown, for various reasons, in winter and spring, 

 than they are in summer time, the produce being then in 

 great demand, and no supply obtainable from the open air, 

 as in the latter part of summer and in autumn. A cool 

 temperature, also, is more suitable to their growth, in 

 the later stages, at least, and this is only with difficulty 

 obtained in summer, except by those fortunate enough 

 to possess a house or cellar below the ground level for 

 devoting to Mushroom culture. The spawn requires a 

 somewhat high temperature at first to cause its dif- 

 fusion to all parts of the bed, and then a much cooler 

 one throughout the later stages of development into the 

 Mushroom as it is used. This is well shown by the ap- 

 pearance of the crop naturally in greater abundance 

 outside when the temperature of both the earth and 

 air are on the decline, and the ground is well moistened 

 by early autumn rains. 



Preparation of Manure. Manure from stables in which 

 carriage horses are kept, is usually procurable for Mush- 

 room culture, and, as a rule, none could be better 

 suited for the purpose. It should be collected each 

 morning, if possible, and laid separate from the litter in 

 a covered shed, with an open front. Here it must be 



Mushrooms continued. 



frequently turned, to prevent overheating, and to allow 

 of the escape of rank steam. When enough is accumu- 

 lated to make a bed of the desired size, it should be 

 kept separate from any that is freshly obtained, the latter 

 being put into another heap, and, in turn, similarly 

 treated. Each or every alternate morning, the heap 

 first referred to must be turned and well shaken apart, 

 until rank steam is no longer present, and the manure 

 is just sufficiently moist to hold together when squeezed. 

 The time thus taken in preparation varies considerably, 

 according to the prevalence of a dry or moisture-laden 

 atmosphere. Some cultivators of Mushrooms prefer a 

 portion of litter mixed with the manure, while others 

 do not. The chief difference is the effect it has when 

 the beds are being made, in preventing the mass from 

 being rammed too firmly. The degree of firmness 

 often affects the period over which the crop is pro- 

 duced, by shortening or lengthening it in proportion. 

 This will be further referred to ; and as good results 

 have been obtained both with and without litter inter- 

 mixed, the matter is not one of material importance. 



Formation of Beds, Spawning, fyc. The manure, having 

 been thoroughly prepared, as above described, should be 

 made up at once into a bed, a suitable depth for this 

 being 9in. in front and about 12in. at the back, if 

 against a wall. The size in other directions must be 

 regulated by the amount of manure available and other 

 circumstances. When a supply of Mushrooms is required 

 in the shortest possible time, the manure should be 

 merely well trodden, to render it firm, but otherwise it 

 should be rammed hard throughout with a brick or hand- 

 rammer. It is not advisable to introduce the spawn at 

 once, as its vitality may be destroyed if the bed should 

 become over-heated. The highest temperature here recom- 

 mended at which spawning may be practised with safety, 

 is 90deg., and it should be known for certain that the 

 heat is, at the time, gradually receding below that point. 

 Small pieces of spawn should be inserted in holes made 

 with a trowel, about 4in. apart, the manure so removed 

 being used for covering it over. In about a week after- 

 wards, or sometimes earlier, lin. to 2in. of moist, rather 

 heavy loam, free, if possible, from sand, which is very 

 injurious, should be laid all over the surface, and beaten 

 hard with the back of a spade. The tiny Mushrooms 

 seldom appear in less than four or five weeks from 

 spawning, and the time during which the beds remain 

 productive afterwards varies very considerably. Mush- 

 rooms are often more in demand for various dishes when 

 about half than when fully developed. In this stage. 



Fio. 614. MUSHROOMS (AGARICUS CAMPESTRIS), in the 

 " Button " stage of development, and one older. 



represented in Fig. 614, they are called " buttons," the 

 single specimen shown being, however, that of an older 

 'one. No more should be cut when at this size than is 

 really necessary, as it is obvious that the crop would be 

 enlarged considerably by allowing a few days' more growth. 

 A successions! bed should be ready for spawning by the 

 time the previous one begins bearing. Opinions differ re- 

 specting the watering of Mushroom beds. It is tolerably 

 certain that watering frequently proves very injurious, 



