MUSHROOM 



in the country, or the persons that are in the habit of 

 gathering them? There are other circumstances, too, 

 which render them noxious; if they grow near the hole 

 of a serpent, for instance, or if they should happen to 

 have been breathed upon by one when just beginning to 

 open; being all the more disposed to imbibe the venom 

 from their natural affinity to poisonous substances. It 

 will therefore be as well to be on our guard during the 

 season at which the serpents have not as yet retired to 

 their holes for the winter. The best sign to know this 

 by is a multitude of herbs, of trees, and of shrubs, which 

 remain green from the time that these reptiles leave their 

 holes till their return ; indeed, the ash alone will be quite 

 sufficient for the purpose, the leaves of it never coming 

 out after the serpents have made their appearance, or 

 beginning to fall before they have retired to their holes. 

 The entire existence of the Mushroom, from its birth to 

 its death, is never mure than seven days." 



Two huudn-.l vi:ir^ :uid more ago Mushrooms were 

 cultivated. Tli.'f..n"wiTii,' directions, given by Philip 

 Miller in 1 7.'. J . an.- v.iv like methods which are some- 

 times advi-.i-il to-(l;i\-. with the exception of the method 

 of securing the spawn : 



"In order to cultivate them, if you have no Beds in 

 your own. or neighboring (iurdens, which produce 

 them, vou should look ubro^id in ri.-li P;,stures, during 

 the M.'.nths of An.iKst and .s',)/, ,„/„,■, until vou find 

 th.-m itlK.t l.ri„-the S.-;,-nn wh-ii th.-v :,r.- i.n'i.lu.-e.l i : 



full „f Miiall white Knul.s, whi.-h are the Otf-sets, or 

 young Mushrooms: these should be carefully gathered, 

 preserving them in Lumps with the Earth about them: 

 but as this Spawn cannot be found in the Pasture, ex- 

 cept at the Season when the ^lushrooras are naturally 

 produced, you may proNaLly find some in old Dunghils. 



especially where thm' ha- l n much Litter amongst 



it, and the Wet hath ih.i pr,,, riai.d it to rot it; as like- 

 wise, by searching ol4 lIotlinN. it maybe often found: 

 for this Spawn hath tht- Appiaraiice of a white Mould, 

 shooting out in long Strings, by which it may be easily 

 known, where-ever it is met with; or this may be pro- 

 cured by mixing some long Dung from the Stable, which 

 has not been thrown on an Heap to ferment; which 

 being mixed with strong Earth, ami put under Cover to 

 prevent Wet getting to it, the more the Air is excluded 

 from it, the sooner the Spawn will appear: but this must 

 not be laid so close together, as to heat; for that will 

 destroy the Spawn: in about two Months after, the 

 Spawn will a|i|.f-ar. e-|.e.-ially if the Heap is closely 

 covered with old Tliatrh. or such Litter as hath lain 

 long abroad, so a^ uot to ferment: then the Beds may 

 be prepared tu receive tiie Spawn: these Beds should be 

 made of Dung, in which there is good Store of Litter; 

 but this should not be thrown on an Heap to ferment: 

 that Dung which hath lain spread abroad for a Month or 

 longer is best: these Beds should be made on dry 

 Ground, and the Dung laid upon the Surface: the Width 

 of these Beds at Bottom should be about two Feet and 

 an half, the Length in proportion to the Quantity of 

 Mushrooms desired: then lay the Dung about a i?oot 

 thick, covering it about four Inches with strong Earth: 

 upon this lay more Dung, about ten Inches thick; then 

 another Layer of Earth; still drawing in the Sides of 

 the Bed, so as to form it like the Ridge of an House; 

 which may be done by three Layers of Dung, and as 

 many of Earth. When the Bed is finished, it should be 

 covered with Litter, or old Thatch, to keep out Wet, as 

 also to prevent its drying: in this situation it may re- 

 main eight or ten Days; by which time the Bed will be 

 in a proper Temperature of Warmth to receive the 

 Spawn; for there should be only a moderate Warmth in 

 it, great Heat destroying the Spawn, as will also Wet ; 

 therefore when the .Spawn is found, it should always be 

 kept dry until it is used; for the drier it is, the better 

 it will take in the Bed: for I had a Parcel of this Spawn, 

 which had lain near the Oven of a Stove upward of four 

 Months, and was become so dry, as that I despaired of 

 its Success: but I never have yet seen any which pro- 

 duced so soon, nor in so great Quantity, as this. - 



"The bed being in a proper Temperature for the 

 Spawn, the Covering of Litter should be taken off, and 

 the Sides of the Bed smoothed; then a Covering of 



MUSHROOM 



1047 



light rich Earth, about an Inch thick, should be laid all 

 over the Bed; but this should not be wet: upon this 

 the Spawn should be thrust, laying the Lumps two or 

 three inches asunder: then gently cover this with the 

 same light Earth, above half an inch thick; and put the 

 Covi-rin- of Litt.-r over tho H,d. layii.ir it so thick as to 

 keei> out Wit. and iiro.,-i nt tli.' II. d from ilvying: when 

 theM- B.-.l- ai-.- maili- in Ihr .^|ninL' in' Aulniiiu, as the 

 Weatlnr is in tlio^,' Sia-i.n- trni|.riai.-. so the Spawn 

 will thfu take murh ^oon.i-, ami the .Mushrooms will 

 appear perhaps in a Month after making: but those 

 Beds which are made in Summer, when the Season is 

 hot, or in Winter, when the Weather is cold, are much 

 longer before thev produce. 



"tin- Kvoat .Skill in niana-ing of these Beds is, that 

 of kn.pin- iliini in a |iio|„ i- Temperature of Moisture, 

 nev.-i- vnib-iin- ili.ni t.i ivr.jve too much Wet: during 



ceive gentle Sliowers of K;iin at ji-m;.!)- riinis; and in 

 long dry Seasons the Beds ^1 :■! n • ■. and-the?i 

 gently watered ; hut by no m. i - ,1, Wet to 



come to them: during the Win- ; . . a.., must be 

 kept as dry as possible; and s,. .. ; - I , .j..rrud, as to 

 keep out Cold: in frosty or very cold Weather, if some 

 warm Litter, shaken out of a Dung-heap, is laid on, it 

 will promote the Growth of the Mushrooms: but this 

 must not be laid next the Bed: but a Covering of dry 

 Littir lietween the Bed and tlii> warm I,itr.-r: and as 

 oft.-n a- the Litter is found to ,|. ,■ i;, . it -honld be re- 

 in-w.-d wirh fresU: and as the i olii na i. a-. ,. the Cov- 

 erini.' ^lionl.l be laid so much tlinkir. It these Things 

 are ol,.. i-v.-d. tli, re may be plenty of iMushrooms ob- 

 taiiud all tin- ^".■ar: and the.se produced in Beds are 

 minh In tt.-i for Tin- Table than any of those which are 



ni r.-ifirtion and Plenty, 

 il I'la.-fice of the London 



mannnr of securing the 

 VlM-n-roinbie would apply 

 He says that the spawn 

 ig of horse stables, from 

 ml melon beds, old Mush- 

 Is. horse mill-tracks, old 

 _'linu' Mushrooms are seen 

 n.'in kitchen-gardens in 

 -' . II, and in old pastures 

 n to tind the spawn is in 



of winter. The frequent 

 covered mill-tracks, 



producing tin- dr -n- ali 

 according to tin- trnn - 

 Gardeners." A-i<lo ir 

 spawn, the a.h na -r, 

 very well at tin ni ■ -■ 

 mav be obtain' I : 

 hotbeds, comji ■ 

 room beds. h. . i . -; 

 dung-heaps where -- -n 

 to rise naturally in tin 

 which Mushrooms hav 

 and meadows. The In- 

 the autumn and the ea 

 occurrence of Mushro 



where horses worked on tram-cars and on power ma- 

 chinery, led to the use of the thoroughly tramped manure 

 as spawn. This spawn gave very excellent results, prob- 

 ably because it was partially -«r,l,,l from tin- spor.s of 

 the Mushrooms whicli ri|"-no'l ilnr.; ami w.-r'.' trani|in,I 

 into it. It is probabli. ihat iln, mill-tiark s|.a\vn univn 



rise to the idea of the .Mn^lir n Inn-k, wlin-li is now ilie 



chief means — at least, in Englainl lunl America— of 

 growing Mushrooms. The name "mill-track" is still 

 used as a trade name for Mushroom spawn, although 

 very little, if any, of it really comes from mill-tracks. 



In America there is only one book devoted whollv to 

 the growing of Mushrooms. This is by William Fal- 

 coner and known as "Mushrooms : Mow to ( irow I'liom " 

 (1891). The Department of Ai.'i-nultni-.. ami om- ..,■ two 

 experiment stations have issued hnll.tins .jn tin- sub- 

 ject. L. H. B. 



For Mushrooms, a suppy of fresh horse manure 

 should be procured, if possible each morning, that from 

 grain-fed carriage horses being the most desirable. 

 The strawy portion we discard. The manure is thrown 

 in a heap on the floor of an open shed, and is turned 

 over each morning forafewdays. Before theheatofthe 

 manure has subsided sufficiently to permit the bed being 

 made, mix about one-third as much loam screened 

 through a K-inch sieve as there is of manure. We 

 have had better success with loam mixed with the 

 manure than when it was not used. The rank heat 

 having escaped from the heap, it can at once be made 



