26 MUSHROOM CULTURE. 



and among them the following are about the best : 1. 

 Horse-droppings the chief part, cowdung a fourth, and 

 the remainder loam. 2. Fresh horse-droppings mixed 

 with short litter the greater part, cowdung one third, 

 and the rest mould or loam. 3. Horsedung, cowdung, 

 and loam in equal parts. These bricks are placed in 

 some dry, airy place, and when half dry, a little bit of 

 spawn about as big as a hazel nut, is placed in the 

 centre of each ; or sometimes, when the bricks are as 



Fig. 11. Brick mushroom-spawn, 



wide as long, a particle is put near each corner, just in- 

 serted below the surface, and plastered over with the 

 composition of which the bricks are made. When the 

 bricks are nearly dry, they are placed on a hotbed about 

 a foot thick, in a shed or dry place. On this the bricks 

 are piled, or placed rather openly and loosely, and 

 covered over with litter, so that the heat may circulate 

 equably amongst them. The temperature should not 

 rise more than a degree or two above 60 degrees ; if 

 it does, it may easily be modified by reducing or removing 



