LECT. viii QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 127 



beds are made in sheds, or under the stages of greenhouses in 

 winter where drip does not fall on them from plants above. 

 Mushrooms are also extensively and profitably grown on ridges 

 and mounds in the open air, thickly covered with litter. 



Q. Can mushrooms be really grown with profit in the open 

 air? 



A. Certainly. They are so grown in enormous quantities by 

 market gardeners, who collect manure from horse stables late in 

 summer and during the autumn. After it has fermented and 

 been sweetened by turning over, it is beaten firmly into ridges 

 about three feet wide at the base and the same in height, with 

 the top rounded. Lumps of spawn are pressed in about eight 

 inches apart, a covering of good soil given and beaten down, 

 then sufficient litter to keep moisture and a gentle warmth in 

 the ridges. Miles of such covered ridges are formed yearly, and 

 tons of mushrooms grown. Full crops are highly remunerative. 



Q. When is a good time for making the beds, and what 

 temperature is suitable for growing the crops ? 



A. Taking the last question first, a temperature ranging 

 between 50 and 60 is the best, therefore it is of small use 

 attempting to grow mushrooms in summer except in the coolest 

 places that can be found. The end of July or beginning of 

 August is a good time to commence collecting manure, which 

 should be turned over at intervals of four or five days to sweeten, 

 damping it if in the least dry. In about three weeks it will be 

 ready for use, and must be beaten down as firmly as possible ; 

 in another week it will be ready for spawning, a week after that 

 for casing with soil, then if covered and kept moist mushrooms 

 may appear in six or eight weeks, and good beds remain pro- 

 ductive for two or three months. The whole details for cultiva- 

 tion, both indoors and out, are given in Mushrooms for the 

 Million, Is., 171, Fleet Street. 



