Mushrooms. 



231 



expenses and supply the garden with spent manure free of 

 cost, such a result, although not wholly satisfactory, would at 

 least be a long step in the direction of ultimate profits. 



Mushroom growing is not at all difficult, providing a supply 

 of good horse manure and good spawn can be obtained, and 

 the proper conditions are carefully observed, but as so many 

 who have tried to grow them have met with failure, or with 

 indifferent success, it is necessary to exercise caution, and 

 the inexperienced person should be content to make his first 

 attempts on a moderate scale. At the same time, if the follow- 

 ing directions are carried out in every detail there is very little 

 doubt of a satisfactory result. 



Although Mushrooms can be 

 grown at any season of the year 

 the most suitable period for 

 general purposes is in autumn, 

 winter, and spring. As, how- 

 ever, one of the chief difficulties 

 of Mushroom growing in the 

 winter is the maintenance of a 

 proper temperature, it will be 

 best for the beginner to start 

 making his beds about mid- 

 summer. This will ensure them 

 being made under the best 

 natural conditions, and they will begin to bear before the cold 

 winter days come, thus making success more certain in the 

 beginning and enabling the grower to gain valuable experience 

 in favourable circumstances. 



Mushroom growing can be carried on practically anywhere 

 in cellars, sheds, frames, glasshouses, or in the open-air the 

 essential point being to maintain an even temperature of from 

 55 to 60 degrees. For winter production it is very advisable 

 that the beds be made under cover, as then the proper temper- 

 ature can be more easily maintained and the work of gathering 

 can proceed more conveniently and without the many interrup- 

 tions caused by bad weather. When the beds are made in the 

 open-air or in an unheated structure they should be in the 

 form of a ridge, but when in a place where the surrounding 



Mushrooms. 



