234 The Profitable Culture of Vegetables. 



for the purpose. The quality of the soil has an influence in 

 determining the number and size of the Mushrooms. If light 

 sandy soil is used they will be plentiful but small, whilst with 

 a heavy soil they will be less numerous but large and fleshy. 

 When the soil is very heavy the admixture of a small portion 

 of sand will improve it; in any case it should be prepared 

 beforehand, by being finely broken, mixed with a little powdered 

 lime, and made moist, but not wet, throughout. 



Preparation of the Manure. When the bed is to be made, 

 select a piece of ground close at hand which is hard and dry. 

 On this place the fresh manure and if some that has been 

 stored is to be mixed with it place the two heaps side by side. 

 Next proceed to shake the manure out, breaking all lumps and 

 throwing out all long straw. When there are two heaps take 

 some from each alternately, so that the fresh and the stored 

 will be well blended. As the work proceeds, all dry parts must 

 be watered, as although eventually the manure must not be too 

 wet, it is a much more serious mistake to have it too dry. Do 

 not saturate the manure with water, but give sufficient to make 

 it nicely moist throughout. Make it into a compact heap, 

 beating each layer a little with the fork as the heap is built up. 

 In from one to three or four days, according to the newness or 

 otherwise of the manure, the heap will have become very hot, 

 when it must be again turned, and if still too dry watered 

 again. This second watering must be the last, as repeated 

 waterings have a tendency to make the manure sour. It 

 must be turned from two to four times, or until it is in a 

 proper condition, and at each turning the outside of the heap 

 should be thrown to the middle and that which was at the 

 middle brought to the outside, so that all may undergo the 

 fermenting and sweetening process. When the manure is in a 

 fit condition for making into the bed it will be of an even dark 

 brown colour, soft and moist, cohesive under pressure "but not 

 so wet as to part with any moisture even when tightly squeezed 

 in the hand ; lastly, it should be almost free of smell, and what 

 remains should be rather sweet and suggestive of Mushrooms. 

 When the manure is in this condition, and not until, it is ready 

 to be made into beds. 



Ridge Beds. The situation for beds in the open-air should 



