82 MUSHROOM CULTURE. 



of three fingers, and then the manure is closed in over, 

 and pressed firmly around it. This done, the beds are 

 covered with about six inches of clean litter. Ten or 

 twelve days afterwards the growers visit the beds, to see 

 if the spawn has taken well. When they see the white 

 filaments spreading in the bed they know that the spawn 

 has taken ; if not, they take away the spawn they sup- 

 pose to be bad and replace it with better. But, using 

 good spawn, and being practised hands at the work, they 

 rarely fail in this particular ; and when the spawn is seen 

 spreading well through the bed, then, and not before, 

 they cover the beds with fresh sweet soil to the depth 

 of about an inch or so. For cover, the little pathway 

 between the beds is simply loosened up, and the rich 

 soil of the market-garden applied equably, firmly, and 

 smoothly with a shovel. With these open-air beds they 

 succeed in getting mushrooms in winter. A covering of 

 abundance of litter is put on immediately after the beds 

 are earthed, and kept there as a protection. They have 

 not long to wait till the beds are in full bearing, and 

 when they are in that state it is thought better to 

 examine and gather from them every second day, or 

 even every day where there are many beds. And thus 

 they grow excellent mushrooms, and in great quantity, 

 all the further attention required being to renew the 

 covering when it gets rotten, and an occasional watering 

 ID a very dry season. 



