MELON MUSHROOM SPAWN. 61 



growers are located in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kan- 

 sas, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey and Delaware. 



In favorable seasons a seed-yield is from 200 to 300 

 pounds per acre, although exceptional crops have been 

 known of 600 pounds per acre. 



Prices paid to growers range from ten to fourteen 

 cents per pound for watermelon; twenty to twenty-two 

 cents for muskmelon or cantaloupe. 



MUSHROOM SPAWN. 



This is sold by seed-dealers in the form of bricks. 

 It is imported mostly from England and France, being 

 laid down in New York at about five cents per pound. 



The manner of preparing mushroom spawn is to mix 

 thoroughly, fresh horse droppings, cow dung, a little 

 loam and stable drainings, and make a mortar-like 

 composition. This mixture is then spread on boards, 

 or on the floor of an open shed, and allowed to become 

 dry enough to be cut into the shape and size of bricks. 

 These are stood on edge in a dry, airy place, and per- 

 mitted to get about half dry, turning them frequently 

 to do it properly. They are now given a planting of 

 good, old spawn, which is performed by making two or 

 three holes in each brick, sufficiently deep to plant in 

 each hole, just below the surface, about one cubic inch 

 of spawn. When the planting is done the holes are 

 closed with the same moist material of which the bricks 

 are composed. 



The bricks are now allowed to become nearly dry. 

 Then they are piled openly, with the spawn-planted 

 side downward on a layer of warm horse droppings, 

 about ten inches thick, which has been prepared on a 

 dry bottom, as for a hot-bed. A covering of straw or 

 hay is put over the bricks so that the steam and 



