A G A 



growing warmth in them. This covering is to be 

 shaken on lightly and regularly from the bottom, 

 up both sides and ends and over the top, and 

 should remain on day and night : it is also use- 

 ful, in very rainy weather and during the winter, 

 to spread sonie large thick garden niats all 

 over the straw covering, which secure it better 

 from being displaced by wind, and shoot oft" 

 rain and snow, before they penetrate greatly, or 

 get through to the beds. If, however, they have at 

 any time penetrated much through the coverings, 

 so that the litter next the beds is considerably wet, 

 that part of it should be removed as soon as pos- 

 sible, and dry straw be applied in its place next 

 the beds. 



The beds should be very little exposed to the 

 full air, especially in cold weather, except just to 

 gather the produce ; or occasionally, when it has 

 received too much wet, in order to dry the surface 

 for an hour or two in a dry mild day ; or to re- 

 move decayed litter next the bed, till fresh is 

 added in its stead; or sometimes in fine warm 

 weather, in spring and summer, to have the 

 benefit of a very gentle warm shower for a short 

 time. 



After management of the frroduce. — After the 

 beds have been spawned and covered in about a 

 month, the first production generally begins to 

 appear, if the bed and spawn work kindly, 

 though it is sometimes longer : at this tjme begin 

 to examine the progress of the beds by turning 

 up some of the coverings ; and if successful, the 

 running and knitting of the spawn may be seen; 

 and, probably, some mushrooms be advanced to a 

 proper size for gathering. 



In gathering the mushrooms, choose, if pos- 

 sible, dry weather, during the cold seasons, when 

 turn off the coverings from one side of the beds 

 first; but, if the weather be mild and warm, 

 uncover the whole at once ; then looking care- 

 fully over the surface, gather all that appear above 

 the size of middling round buttons, detaching 

 them with a gentle twist of the hand, head and 

 stem together, being careful not to disturb the 

 younger growths which are advancing just with- 

 in or above the surface of the earth ; no part 

 being left in the beds, as they would rot, become 

 maggoty, and detrimentally infect the succeeding 

 young plants : nor, in gathering, should any be 

 permitted to remain to become very large flaps, 

 but the whole be gathered while of a close, 

 firm, fleshy nature. As soon as the business is 

 finished, let the beds be directly covered over again 

 with litter and mats. 



Beds thus advanced to production often af- 

 ford two or three successional gatherings weekly, 

 while in full perfection, for six or eight weeks, 

 rising all over the beds, in different degrees of 



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growth; though, sometimes, a bed will continue 

 double that time in tolerably good bearing, or 

 even four, five, or six months : but the produce 

 is not so quick or abundant as in the more early 

 state of the bed. They may be examined once or 

 twice a week. 



The autumn-made beds generally produce 

 mushrooms in a shorter time, and more abun- 

 dantly , than those of other seasons. 



It sometimes happens that mushroom beds 

 remain several months after they are spawned, 

 without affording any product : in this case, when., 

 upon examination, the spawn appears in vi- 

 gour, its fibres extended, and smells well, it 

 should not be too hastily disurbed, as it often, 

 breaks forth into activity all at once, and fur- 

 nishes considerable crops : or to assist such beds, 

 if the heat appears greatly or quite declined, it 

 may be proper to apply a sort of lining of warm 

 stable litter over the whole, having first spread a 

 coat of dry long litter immediately next the beds, 

 shaking the warm litter a foot thick over that, 

 which by its kindly warmth sometimes revives 

 the inactive spawn into a state of vegetation. 



In summer, when any of the beds are in pro- 

 duction, if very hot weather, and the earth of tha 

 beds be very dry, it may be proper occasionally 

 to open them, and give a moderate sprinkling of' 

 water; or sometimes to expose them to the 

 benefit of a very moderate shower of rain for a 

 short time, covering them up again soon. 



In beds of considerable time standing, where 

 any of the coverings decay or become dung, they 

 should be removed, and fresh ones applied, in their 

 stead. 



Where mushrooms are raised by means of heat, 

 it is found that they succeed best when beds are 

 regularly kept to about fifty-five degrees ; and 

 that air is of little use. 



AGAVE, a genus comprehending plants of 

 the Aloe kind, as the Great American Aloe, or 

 Agave, &c. They are herbaceous, ever-green, 

 perennials of the succulent tribe, in general of 

 considerable growth, and the tender exotic kind. 



It belongs to the class and order of Hexandria 

 Monogijnia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 CoronaricE. 



Its characters are : that it has no calyx ; that 

 the corolla is one-petalled, and funnel-shaped, 

 with a six-parted equal border, and lanceolate 

 erect parts : the stamina are filiform, erect fila- 

 ments, longer than the corolla; the antherae 

 linear, shorter than the filaments, and versatile : 

 the pistillum is an oblong germen, growing 

 thinner towards both ends, inferior ; the style 

 filiform, of the length of the stamina, and three- 

 cornered ; the stigma headed and three-cornered : 

 the pericarpium is an oblong, three-cornered, 



