CULTIVATION OF MUSHROOMS. 275 



times appear in greenhouses in considerable quantity. These start 

 from natural spawn in the manure used, or sometimes from the 

 spawn remaining in ** spent" mushroom beds which is mixed with 

 the soil in making lettuce beds, etc., under glass. One of the 

 market gardeners at Ithaca used old spawn in this way, and had 

 volunteer mushrooms among lettuce for several years. In making 

 the lettuce beds in the autumn, a layer of fresh horse manure six 

 inches deep is placed in the bottom, and on this is placed the soil 

 mixed with the old, spent mushroom beds. The following year the 

 soil and the manure at the bottom, which is now rotten, is mixed 

 up, and a fresh layer of manure is placed below. In this way the 

 lettuce bed is self-spawned from year to year. About every six 

 years the soil in the bed is entirely changed. This gardener, during 

 the winter of 1900-1, sold ^30.00 to $40.00 worth of volunteer 

 mushrooms. Another gardener, in a previous year, sold over $50.00 

 worth. 



Planting mushrooms with other vegetables. In some cases gardeners 

 follow the practice of inserting a forkful of manure here and there 

 in the soil where other vegetables are grown under glass, and 

 planting in it a bit of spawn. 



Mushroom and vegetable house combined. Some combine a mushroom 

 house and house for vegetables in one, there being a deep pit where 

 several tiers of beds for mushrooms can be built up, and above this 

 the glass house where lettuce, etc., is grown, all at a temperature of 

 about 60 F. 



THREE METHODS SUGGESTED FOR GROWING MUSHROOMS IN 

 CELLARS AND SHEDS. 



First Method. Obtain fresh stable horse manure mixed with straw used in 

 bedding the animals. Shake it out, separating the coarse material from the 

 droppings. Put the droppings in a pile two to three feet deep. Pack down 

 firmly. When the heat rises to near 130 F., turn and shake it out, making a 

 new pile. Make the new pile by layers of manure and loam soil, or rotted sod, 

 one part of soil to eight or nine parts of manure. Turn again when the heat rises 

 to near 130 F., and add the same amount of soil. When the temperature is 

 about 100 F., the material is ready for the beds. 



Preparing the beds. Make the beds as described under the paragraph on pages 

 250-253, or use boxes. Place the coarse litter in the bottom three to four inches 

 deep. On this place three to four inches of the cured material, pack it down, and 

 continue adding material until the bed is ten to fifteen inches deep. Allow the beds 

 to stand, covering them with straw or excelsior if the air in the cellar or shed is 

 such as to dry out the surface. 



Test the moisture content according to directions on page 255. 



Watch the temperature. Do not let it rise above 130 F. When it is down 



