116 FORCING MUSHROOMS. 



similar to the roof of a house ; this by being spawned ota 

 the four sides will yield abundantly. The celebrated Mr. 

 Nichol makes his beds without spawn. The following are 

 his directions, taken from Loudon's Encyclopedia of Gar- 

 dening : 



41 After having laid a floor of ashes, stones, chips, gravel, 

 &r brick-bats, so as to keep the bed quite dry, and free from 

 under damp, lay a course of horse-droppings six inches thick. 

 These should be new from the stables, and must not be 

 broken, and the drier the belter. They may be collected 

 every day until the whole floor or sole be covered to the 

 above thickness ; but they must not be allowed to ferment 

 or heat. In the whole process of making up, the bed should 

 be as much exposed to the air as possible ; and it should be 

 carefully defended from wet, if out of doors. \Vhenthis course 

 is quite dry, and judged to be past a state of fermentation, 

 cover it the thickness of two inches with light dry earth ; if 

 sandy, so much the better. It is immaterial whether it be 

 rich or not, the only use of earth here being for spawn to 

 run and mass in. Now lay another course of droppings, 

 and earth them over as above, when past a state of fermen- 

 tation : then a third course, which, in like manner, earth all 

 over. This finishes the bed, which will be a very strong and 

 productive one, if properly managed afterwards. 



Observe, that in forming the bed, it should be a little 

 rounded, in order that the centre may not be more wet or 

 moist than the sides. This may be done in forming 

 the sole or floor at first, and the bed would then be of 

 equal strength in all parts. If it be made up against a 

 wall in a cellar, stable, or shed, it may have a slope of a 

 few inches from the back to the front, less or more, accord- 

 ing to its breadth. I have sometimes been contented with 

 two courses as above, instead of three ; and often when 

 materials were scarce, have made them up slighter, thus t 

 three four-inch courses of droppings, with one inch of earth 

 between each, and a two-inch covering at top. Such abed 

 as this, I have had produce for ten or twelve months toge- 

 ther ; but very much depends on the state of the materials, 



