320 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



all winter, but in dry weather in spring must have 

 plenty of water. 



Wintering the Crops — Beets. — Towards the 

 end of the month, or just before frosty nights are ex- 

 pected, will be time to take up the beets and pack 

 them away for winter use. They must be taken up 

 carefully, in a dry day, without breaking or bruising 

 thera, and their tops cut or twisted off just above 

 the crown, so as to prevent their bleeding. They 

 must then be taken to the cellars or cave, and pack- 

 ed away in sand or dry earth. If there be a large 

 quantity of them, a good way is to square up a few 

 boards in the corner of the cellar, forming a sort of 

 bin, to keep up the sand or fine earth; if only a few, 

 they may be packed in barrels or dry goods boxes, 

 with the sand or earth between them. First lay two 

 layers of roots on the floor, as you would lay stove 

 wood, as close as they can be packed, close up to 

 the boards, with their crowns toward the boards 

 and wall, and their heels meeting in the middle. 

 Then spread on fine dry earth or sand enough to fill 

 up all the spaces between the roots; then two more 

 layers ot roots and a layer of sand. Parsneps and 

 carrots, and salsify may be kept in the same way. 

 But salsify is better set upright in boxes well filled 

 with sand, because of their roots being so thin; they 

 keep better and are more easily got at. Salsify is 

 very hardy, and a portion of the crop should be left 

 out in the open ground until spring. The same with 

 parsneps. 



Onions. — By the first week in the month, onions 

 will be all ripe and their tops dead. They should be 

 pulled up and left on the ground a day or two to 

 dry, if fine weather; then carried to a dry, airy room 

 or loft, and spread out to dry still more, that they 

 may be thoroughly ripened, or they will not keep. 

 In wet days, when you can only work in doors, their 

 tops should be braided together, forming a rope of 

 onions two or three feet long, and hung up in a dry, 

 airy place, where it will not freeze. 



Proceed carefully with the earthing of the Celery, 

 as directed. Keep the leaves straight and the earth 

 out of their hearts. Earth up about three or four 

 inches at a time, and at intervals of two or three 

 weeks. Do the earthing when the leaves are dry 

 and clean, and the earth in nice working order. 



JosiAH Salter. 



MUSHKOOM CULTURE. 



Loudon, an authority upon all subjects of this 

 character, describes the mushroom [Jigaricus com- 

 pestris) cultivated in gardens for edible purposes, as 

 " a well known native vegetable, springing up in 

 open pastures in August and September. It is most 

 readily distinguished, when of middle size, by its fine 

 pink or flesh-colored gills and pleasant smell. In a 

 more advanced stage, the gills become of chocolate 

 color, and it is then more apt to be confounded with 

 other kinds of dubious qualities; but that species 

 which more nearly resembles it, is slimy to the touch, 

 and destitute of the fine odor, having rather a disa- 

 greeable smell; further, the noxious kind grows in 

 woods, while the true mushroom springs up chiefly 

 in open pastures, and should be gathered only in 

 such places." 



The spawn or seed by which the mushroom is 

 propagated, resembles pieces of fine white thread, 

 and ia collected in old pastures, or other places 



where the agaricus is found. Seedsmen have a 

 method of making it for supplying gardeners as fol- 

 lows: — Fresh horse dung mixed with short litter is 

 composted with one-third part of cow dung, and a 

 small portion of garden loam. This is cut up into 

 bricks, and half dried by frequent turning from one 

 edge to the other, — at this stage, in a couple of holes 

 made by a dibble, small pieces of spawn, walnut- 

 size, are placed. When the bricks are dry, they are 

 piled upon a layer of dry horse dung, six inches 

 thick, and covered with sufficient fresh dung to pro- 

 duce a gentle heat through the whole. The spawn 

 will spread through the bricks, which may be stored 

 in a dry place, where they will preserve their vege- 

 tative power a long time. 



A mushroom bed is formed in the following man- 

 ner: — Procure a sufficient quantity of good horse 

 dung, heap it up and turn frequently, in order to 

 induce regular fermentation, and to get rid of the 

 rankness of the manure. This will require about 

 two weeks. Shake up the dung well with the fork 

 and build the bed, perpendicular, a foot high ; then 

 slope toward the centre at an angle of thirty degrees, 

 like the roof of a house. Let each forkful be well 

 beaten in its place, and the bed be of neat and 

 regular form, and then cover the whole with straw 

 or litter to induce heating, which will be at the 

 proper stage at from ten to fourteen days. Eemove 

 the covering and lay an inch of fine loam over the 

 dung. On this plant the spawn in small pieces, six 

 inches apart each way, and cover with another inch 

 of loam. Beat smooth with the spade, and replace 

 the covering of straw. Protect the bed, if in the 

 open air, from extremes of heat and cold, drouth 

 and moisture, keeping the temperature at about 60°. 

 If the mould appears too dry, sprinkle with tepid 

 water mornings, leaving the covering off for about 

 an hour after the application. 



Good beds, rightly managed, will produce young 

 mushrooms in six weeks' time, but it is often longer. 

 Sometimes extra heat and moisture will bring on a 

 good growth; again, too great heat and moisture 

 destroys the vegetative power of the spawn. Proper 

 care will generally secure a fine supply of this deli- 

 cious vegetable fungus. In gathering, take up to 

 the bottom, and fill the hole with earth. If the 

 stump is left it becomes a nursery of maggots, very 

 injurious to the succeeding growth. Perhaps some 

 other correspondent will give C. of 0. W. the infoiv 

 mation he desires in regard to obtaining spawn, and 

 its price. We here furnish full directions tor its cul- 

 ture, and some notice of the original sources whence 

 itis obtaiied. P. A. S. 



CULTIVATION OF ONIORS. 



Messrs. Editors: — I have raised 38 bushels of 

 onions on 8 rods of ground, some of the onions 

 measuring 16| inches in circumference. My method 

 of culture is as follows: — I plow the ground deep, in 

 the fall, and manure very high. In the spring plow 

 the ground again, and then harrow and rake the 

 ground smooth. Gravelly ground is the best. I 

 rake off all of the largest stones; then sow in drills, 

 about 14 inches apart; sow quite thick, and thin out 

 They should be weeded as soon as they are big 

 enough. I think that the first of April is the best 

 time tor sowing the seed. Nathan Kenyoh, 



Little Genesee, JV. Y. 



