MUSHROOM-SPAWN. -31 



" For this purpose I had procured two boxes of the 

 French spawn from Messrs. Barr and Sugden, of Covent 

 Garden. It was light, loose, flaky, chaffy stuff, and so dry 

 that I had some fear whether its vegetating power had 

 not been dried out of it. But the spawn had been bought 

 for experiment, and therefore the experiment must be 

 carried out. 



" Raking about two inches of the material from the 

 surface of each bed, pieces of the flaky spawn were laid 

 down, at about ten inches or a foot apart, all over the 

 beds ; the fine portions of the spawn were then scattered 

 over the beds, patted down firmly with the back of a 

 spade, and then the surface material was returned, and 

 the whole made as firm as possible. In passing, it may 

 not be out of place to remark that spawning in this 

 manner must be guided, or rather governed, by the state 

 of the material of the bed. If it is not sufficiently cooled, 

 it will be safer to make holes in the usual manner for 

 the spawn; but if in a fit state, then I think the 

 broadcast spawning and earthing, as before described, is 

 the best plan. The disturbed portion of the beds having: 

 regained its heat, and there being no fear of its over- 

 heating, the beds were immediately earthed two inches 

 thick with fresh loam, beaten quite firm, and then covered 

 with a thin layer of dry hay. 



" Not liking to entrust my chance of mushrooms en- 

 tirely to the new mat^ial, the French spawn, two beds 



