64 GARDENING 



them, and water the holes from which they are 

 pulled with a mixture of three-quarters of an ounce 

 of saltpetre in a pint of water, and refilled with 

 earth. If small white granules appear at the bottom 

 of the bed and round the pieces of spawn, take out 

 the affected parts and refill with fresh earth. 



Besides raising three or four lots of mushrooms 

 under cover in the year, the supply can be continued 

 out of doors during the summer season. Beds used 

 for other forced culture may be pierced with a stick 

 in their sides and mushroom spawn placed in them, 

 and they will often yield good crops, provided that 

 the temperature is proper and the young mush- 

 rooms are protected by a light covering of earth 

 when they are beginning to develop. 



To test it, plunge in an ordinary thermometer. 

 The spawn should be broken into pieces two inches 

 square. Insert thern into the manure two inches 

 deep and nine inches apart all over the bed. Press 

 the manure down firmly, and just cover the bed with 

 fine sifted earth about an inch thick, and press down 

 firmly with the back of a spade. The heat of the 

 bed should never be allowed to get lower than 65° 

 for the first six weeks. It is a good plan to do this 

 by adding a little straw on the top. 



To make Mushroom Beds in the Open Air. — 

 Proceed to make the bed as above. Beds for winter 

 bearing should contain more material than for the 

 summer work. Straw manure is best, and should be 

 procured from stables where the horses are receiving 

 Jiard food, and only the longest of the litter should 

 be shaken out, and which can be used for covering 

 the beds when dried in the sun. 



The beds for winter should not be less than 

 three feet wide and equally high, or nearly so. Soil 



