THE MUSHROOM-HOUSE. 



bottomed to prevent the beds from drying too rapidly, 

 and to require less watering, which Mr. Patrick thinks a 

 very important precaution in mushroom culture. Venti- 

 lation is effected by a slide in the door, and a wooden 

 trunk up through the arch and roof, with a slide in it 

 also. We do not exactly see the motive of Mr. Patrick, 

 whom we have long known and esteemed as one of the 

 best gardeners in England, in adopting the span roof 

 over this house, as, from its situation behind the garden 

 wall, a lean-to roof would have been cheaper and carried 

 oft' the rain-water better. It is rather a novel, but still 

 a good plan, to have the inner roof constructed of a 

 brick arch, as it will of course save the outer one from 

 decay, to which all mushroom-house roofs are liable 

 more than any other kind of garden building. This 

 house struck us at first sight as very complete, excepting 

 in breadth. We should increase it to 9 feet that is, 

 3 feet for the breadth of the beds on each side, and 

 the same for the footpath, which at present is incon- 

 veniently narrow/" 



The Russian mushroom-house (fig. 10) is thus de- 

 scribed by Mr. Oldacre, in the Horticultural Society's 

 Transactions, vol. ii. first series. "The outside walls 

 should be 8J feet high for four heights of beds, and 6J for 

 three heights, and 10 feet wide inside the walls. This is 

 the most convenient width, as it admits of shelves 3J feet 

 wide on each side, and affords a space through the middle 



