MUS 



MI'S 



t'oiirse, which, in like manner, carlh 

 ail over. This finishes the bed, 

 vhich will be a very strong and pro- 

 ductive one if properly managed af- 

 terward. 



" Observe that, in forming the bed, 

 it should be a little rounded, in order 

 that the centre may not be more wet 

 or moist than the sides. Tliis may 

 be done in forming the sole or floor 

 at first, and the bed would then be of 

 equal strength in all parts. If it be 

 made up against a wall in a cellar, 

 stable, or shed, it may have a slope 

 of a few inches from the back to the 

 front, less or more, according to its 

 breadth. I have sometimes been con- 

 tented with two courses, as above, in- 

 stead of three ; and often, when ma- 

 terials were scarce, have made them 

 up slighter, thus : three four-inch 

 courses of droppings, with one inch 

 of earth between each, and a two- 

 inch covering at top. Such a bed as 

 this I have had produce for ten or 

 twelve months together ; but very 

 much depends on the state of the ma- 

 terials, on the care taken in making 

 it up, and also on the after manage- 

 ment. 



" The droppings of hard-fed horses 

 only are useful. Those of horses 

 kept on green food will, of them- 

 selves, produce few or no mush- 

 rooms. I have made up beds from 

 farm horses, fed partly on hard and 

 partly on green food, and from car- 

 riage or saddle horses, fed entirely 

 on corn and hay ; treated them in the 

 same way in every respect, and have 

 found, not once, but always, those 

 made from the latter most produc- 

 tive. Droppings from hard-fed horses 

 may be procured at the public stables 

 in towns, or at inns in the country, 

 any time of the year ; and if the sup- 

 ply be plentiful, a bed of considerable 

 dimensions may be made and finish- 

 ed within five or six weeks. In as 

 many more weeks, if in a stable or 

 dry cellar, or a flued shed, it wdl be- 

 gin to produce, and often sooner ; but 

 if the situation of the bed be cold, it 

 will sometimes be two or three 

 months in producing mushrooms. 



" It may be necessary to state, far- 

 512 



tlier, that extremes of heat, cold, 

 drought, and moisture should be 

 avoided in the cultivation of mush- 

 rooms. If the temperature keeps up 

 to 50° in the winter, the beds will be 

 safe, and the heat in the beds may 

 rise to 60^, or even 70^, without inju- 

 ry. Air, also, must be admitted in 

 proportion to the heat, and 60' should 

 be aimed at as a medium tempera- 

 ture. Water, when given a little at 

 a time, is better than too much at 

 once, after the spawn has begun to 

 spread, and the water for this pur- 

 pose should always be made blood- 

 warm. A light covering of straw 

 may be used to preserve moisture on 

 the surface ; and if tlie beds are made 

 in open frames, or otherwise subject 

 to exposure, the straw may be laid 

 thicker than on beds made in a cellar. 



" Should beds fail in producing 

 mushrooms after having been kept 

 over hot or wet, it may be inferred 

 that the spawn is injured or destroy- 

 ed ; but if, on the contrary, a bed 

 that has been kept moderately warm 

 and dry should happen to be unpro- 

 ductive, such bed may be well replen- 

 ished with warm water, and a coat 

 of warm dung may be laid over the 

 whole. If this does not enliven the 

 bed after having lain a month, take 

 off the earth, and if, on examination, 

 there is no appearance of spawn, the 

 whole may be destroyed ; but if, on 

 the contrary, the bed should contain 

 spawn, it may be renovated by cov- 

 ering it again, especially if any small 

 tubercles be discernible ; if the heat 

 should have declined, the spawn may 

 be taken out and used in a fresh bed. 

 If beds be formed in hot-bed frames 

 under glass, some mats or straw must 

 be laid over the glass to break off the 

 intense heat of tlie sun." 



If any accidents arise from eating 

 improper mushrooms, vomiting, by 

 means of a mixture of salt and wa- 

 ter, should be encouraged. 



M U S K M E L O N. The common 

 yellow melons, of little flavour, and 

 unworthy of cultivation. See Melon. 



MUSQUITO, MOSQUITO. In- 

 sects of the genus Culcx, armed with a 

 sharp proboscis, by which they pierce 



