4i6 The Kitchen Garden. [Sept. 



prefer the fpawn found in dung, either in old hot-beds 

 or in eld c'lpg-hills. 



I have often found exceellent fpawn in the farmer's 

 durip;-hills ; fuch as we commonly fee piled up in large 

 heaps in the lanes, or on commons near their fields ; and 

 you will generally find it mofl of all in thofe dung-heaps 

 which Gcnfifi: chiefly of horfe-ftable-dung, obferving to 

 fearch in fuch as appear to have laid for fex'eral months ; 

 and may alfo often find fine ilrong fpawn in horfe-mill 

 tracks, where horfes are employed conftantly under (he!-' 

 ter in turning mills, &c. or in liable-yards, where horfe- 

 dung has lain fome confiderable time in the dry. 



Spawn is commojily found in fearching, as above, in 

 lumps of dry rotten duiig; h a whTte fibreous fubftance, 

 often running and fpreading itfelf in the faid lump's of 

 dry rotten dung, a^^pesring of a white ilringy or fila- 

 mentofe nature, and if of the true fort, has exadtly the 

 fmell of a muDiroom. 



Let thefe lumps be taken up carefully, dung and 

 fpawn together, cl-f^rving to preferve the pieces as en- 

 tire as polhble, laying t!)cm, at the fame time in a bar- 

 row or bafket with the fame care; when you have ga- 

 thered enough for your purpofe, let the lumps be laid iu. 

 a dry place, and covered with fome dry litter till the bed 

 is ready. 



But if the pieces of fpawn are wet, or very damp, you 

 may lay them thinly on a mat in i dry fhady place, where 

 they may dry leifurely j then you may cover them as 

 above. 



I have been obliged often to buy my fpawn of the 

 market gardeners in the neighbourhood of London, but 

 particularly thofe called the Neat-houfe gardeners near 

 Chelfea, alfo about Lambeth and- places adjacent ; 

 where many of the gardeners labourers go about at this 

 feafon and colleft great quantities for fale. It may, if 

 clofely packed up in hampers, be fafely conveyed to a 

 great diilance. I have more than once fent it above an 

 hundred and fifty miles. 



Jf is fold from about live to eight or ten (hillings per 

 buftxel. 



When vou have obtained the fpawn, you may then be- 

 gin to make the bed as foon as the dung is in a right 

 condition for that purpofe^ 



Chooff 



