HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



139 



MUS 



was a cellar under a green-bouse, but in build- 

 ing houses for Ferns and Orchids, provision was 

 made to cover in and put a hot water pipe 

 through a shed, on the ground floor, about fifty 

 feet long by eight feet wide, without any shelves; 

 this, so far, answers the purpose admirably. At 

 other places there is n growing interest mani- 

 fested in their cultur?. I do not find it nec- 

 essary to exclude all the light, but only the rays 

 of the sun. In this house there are three sashes, 

 five feet long by two feet wide, put on the wooden 

 roof at equal distances apart, which give light 

 enough for working at all times. There are not 

 often more than two kinds sold around New 

 York; these are the Agaricus campfstris and the 

 small white Clmmpignon, the latter being a favor- 

 ite with the French people; but at some of the 

 fashionable restaurants several kinds are cooked, 

 and served to customers as a great delicacy. The 

 common ' Puff Ball " that comes un all over the 

 country in autumn is excellent eating, when 

 taken in its young state, sliced, and fried like 

 the Egg Plant, or broiled like the ordinary 

 Mushroom. The Spaniards eat several kinds 

 that we have always thought to be poisonous, 

 and the Russians cook a still greater number of 

 Fungi ; but no doubt the high seasoning some- 

 what neutralizes their poisonous qualities, and 

 makes them safe to eat under their mode of 

 preparing them for the table. Every year 

 we hear of some cases of poisoning by eat- 

 ing Toadstools, gathered by mistake for Mush- 

 rooms; so it is best not to risk eating any 

 that are not known to be genuine Mushrooms. 

 In my own practice I do not find it necessary to 

 have fresh droppings from the stable, as is so often 

 recommended by some growers. When we get 

 in our supply of horse manure in the autumn, 

 about the last of October, or the beginning of 

 November, I take care to have the finest portion 

 of it carted to an open shed, where there is suf- 

 ficient room to pile it in a loose heap, so as 

 to be turned as often as the heat becomes vio- 

 lent. This will not be so often as once a day; 

 but care is taken that it does not burn. If it is 

 fresh horse manure, it will take nearly a month 

 before it is sufficiently fermented to get rid of 

 the offensive smell, and prevent the danger of 

 burning when it is made into a compact bed. I 

 am not at all particular to shake out all the litter 

 and straws, as I find the spawn runs much bet- 

 ter and quicker than when made of nothing but 

 droppings. I never mix r.ny soil with the ma- 

 nure, either when turning it over to ferment or 

 in making the beds. Of course it takes a little 

 longer to prepare it than it would if soil were 

 mixed with it, but the after results are much 

 more satisfactory, the crops are better, and for 

 a longer period, than I have seen where soil was 

 mixed with the beds. In making the beds I 

 have a layer of manure spread about four inches 

 thick, which is all trodden down as firm as pos- 

 sible; and then another layer of the same thick- 

 ness, with another treading, or beating, and so 

 on, till the bed is from twelve to fifteen inches 

 deap. I then put in trial sticks, which are 

 pointed sticks about eighteen inches long, 

 driven into the bed about four feet apart; and 

 these are examined occasionally in order to know 

 when the bed is of the right temperature for 

 putting in the spawn. If the bed does not be- 

 gin to ferment within a week from the time of 

 making, it is covered with hay or leaves; but 

 this is not often necessary, for, as a rule, the 

 heat is very violent, and if there is any danger 



MUS 



of burning, that is, if it becomes white, or 'fire- 

 fangcd,' I make a few holes in the bed to let out 

 the steam. Usually, however, in about ten days 

 the bed will be cool enough to spawn, or about 

 blood heat, (98 a .) In spawning the bed, I pre- 

 fer what is called flake spawn, which is pro- 

 duced by breaking up the brick spawn into 

 pieces about two inches square, and mixing 

 them in a heap of manure that is fermenting 

 gently. After laying in this heap about three 

 weeks it will be found one mass of spawn, and 

 just in the right condition for running vigor- 

 ously all through the bed in a very short time. 

 The quality of the spawn may be very easily 

 detected by the Mushroom-like smell ; there 

 is nothing else smells like it, and after hav- 

 ing once become acquainted with its peculiar 

 odor, when in a state of activity, it is never 

 forgotten, and I should have no hesitation in 

 picking out good spawn in the dark. When 

 spawning the bed I lift up the droppings in 

 the bed about four inches deep, and put in 

 a handful of the flake spawn about one foot 

 apart all over the bed. After this I beat it all 

 down as hard as possible. If brick spawn is 

 used, I make holes about four inches deep, and 

 nine inches apart, and put in pieces about the 

 size of an egg, beating all well down as before. 

 When the spawn used is in a state of activity, 

 as it is when flake spawn is used, the appear- 

 ance of the crop is from two to three weeks ear- 

 lier than when brick spawn is used. If the 

 material of the bed has been properly prepared, 

 there is not much danger of overheating after 

 this time;fbut it is best to be on the safe side, 

 and defer putting soil on the bed until after the 

 spawn has begun to spread, which may be 

 known by lifting up a portion, and examining 

 it. If it has begun to run, the manure will be 

 found full of very fine white threads, and it 

 will have that peculiar Mushroom-like smell 

 spoken of above. Now comes, in my opinion, 

 a very important part of the preparation for a 

 crop of Mushrooms, and that is covering thi 

 bed with soil. Formerly I was very particular 

 to have the soil finely sifted, and spread evenly 

 over the bed about one inch deep. In a great 

 measure this 

 the bed firm, 



if the surface of the bed once gets dry, all the 

 small ones wither, or, as the old gardeners say, 

 ' fog off. ' Of late years I have practiced what has 

 proved to be a much more reliable way of cover- 

 ing the bed, which consists in putting on fresh 

 grass sods cut about two inches thick; these are 

 liid all over the bed, grass side down, and trod- 

 den or beaten down as firmly as possible. With 

 this covering, I have never known the small 

 Mushrooms to wither before coming to matur- 

 ity. Another advantage over the old plan is, 

 the bed continues bearing longer, the Mush- 

 rooms are larger, and come through the sods in 

 a healthy, vigorous way that is pleasant to look 

 upon. In gathering the crop from a bed cov- 

 ered with sods, the largest can be twisted from 

 a cluster without disturbing the small ones, 

 which was often a great loss by the old plan. 

 After the bed begins to bear I never use any 

 covering, such as hay, or similar material, for, 

 if the placa is not absolutely dark, the small 

 blades of grass grow through the sods, and 

 form a sort of mulch, and the Mushrooms, as 

 they peep through the grass, appear much more 

 natural and cleanly than when covered with 

 rubbish; besides, in many cases the covering is 



. 



this plan defeats the object of making 

 rm, and when the Mushrooms appear, 



