THE CAVE CULTURE OF MUSHROOMS. 61 



soil, with which they are covered to the depth of about an 

 inch, is uearly white, and is simply sifted from the rubbish 

 of the stone-cutters above, giving the recently-made bed 

 the appearance of being covered with putty. 



Although we are from seventy to eighty feet below the 

 surface of the ground, everything looks quite neat in fact, 

 very much more so than could have been expected, not 

 a particle of litter being met with. A certain length of 

 bed is made every day in the year, and as the men finish 

 one gallery or series of galleries at a time, the beds in 

 each have a similar character. As we proceed to those 

 in full bearing, creeping up and down narrow passages, 

 winding always between the two little narrow beds against 

 the wall on each side, and passing now and then through 

 wider nooks filled with two or three little beds, daylight 

 is again seen. This time it comes through another well- 

 like shaft, formerly used for getting up the stone, but 

 now for throwing down the requisite materials into the 

 cave. At the bottom lies a large heap of the white earth 

 before alluded to, and a barrel of water for gentle 

 waterings are required in the quiet, cool, black stillness 

 of these caves, as well as in mushroom-houses on the 

 upper crust. 



Once more we plunge into a passage as dark as ink, 

 and find ourselves between two lines of beds in full bear- 

 ing, the beautiful w r hite button-like mushrooms appearing 

 everywhere in profusion along the sides of the diminutive 



