CULTURE IN GARDENS, ETC. 87 



" The evidence of this unexpected success demonstrated 

 two things first, that if the ground is freely manured 

 with fresh dung from well-fed horses, mushrooms are 

 almost sure to be produced; and, secondly, that the 

 more the ground is covered with the foliage of plants, 

 the more certain will be the crop. Thus we found more 

 mushrooms under savoys and broccoli than under Brussels 

 sprouts the former no doubt protecting the crop from 

 heavy drenches of rain, which we know are very injurious 

 to the mushroom crop. Since this example of mushroom- 

 growing turned up, nearly fifteen years ago, I have fre- 

 quently concentrated "the fresh manure under a row of 

 savoys or broccoli, throwing in at the same time a dust 

 of mushroom spawn or the dung of a spent mushroom 

 bed; and, except in very wet seasons, I have rarely 

 failed to have a fine supply during the months of Sep- 

 tember and October. One point of success I believe to 

 be essentially necessary, and that is, that water shall have 

 a free passage through the ground at all times ; hence 

 the necessity of trenching the ground, if you expect mush- 

 rooms as well as brassicas." 



Even in gardens where mushrooms are well grown in 

 enclosed structures such results in early autumn will often 

 be desirable ; while in numbers of places where there are 

 few or no opportunities of gathering them in abundance 

 under other circumstances, crops in the garden will be 

 very welcome. Therefore utilise the old mushroom-beds ! 



