4i8 The Kitchen Garden. [Sept. 



Plant the pieces of fpavvn in the dung, obTerving to 

 .put them juft within the furface of the bed, aiid let the« 

 .be put in about five or fix inches afunder ; when you have 

 finillied one rowj begin another fix or eight inches from 

 the firll,- and fo proceed till you have planted the whole. 



When this is done let the furface of the bed be made 

 quite fmooth, by beatii)g the dung gently with the bac'k 

 ofyourfpade. 



Then let every part of the bed be covered with fome 

 rich dry earth about an inch and a half thick.; let this 

 alfo be made quite fmooth by ufing the fpade as above. 



Thep let the whole be covered with fome clean and dry 

 ftraw, or dry long flable litter, a foot thick at leaft, to 

 keep out the wet and cold ; obferving, however, if you 

 have any doubt of the bed recovering a vigorous heat 

 again foon after being fpawned and clofely earthed over, 

 which confines the heat and hot lleam ; you may cover it 

 only but a quarter or half the thicknefs at firft, or not at 

 all for a few days or a week, if a very fubftantial bed, 

 and the weather is dry, but if rain falls, defend it with 

 the latter; for if the bed is fuffered either to have too 

 much heat or wet, all is loft, fo delicate is the fpawn ; 

 and requires therefore the greateft precautions in the firft 

 fetting off, being careful however, agreeable to the fore- 

 going hints, to cover the bed all over in due time with 

 dry litter, the full thicknefs above-mentioned; which 

 muft be continued conftantly over the bed in all wea- 

 thers, night and day; and managed as below : — 



When heavy rains fall, examine the above covering; 

 and if you at any time fii:d that the wet has penetrated 

 through to the bed, let the wet ftraw be removed, and 

 lay fome freih on. 



During the winter feafon, the bed muft be kept en- 

 tirely free from moiflure, and be confiantly covered as 

 above, both to defend it from wet and cold ; and in 

 lime of heavy rains, fevere froft, or fnowy weather, the 

 depth of covering fhculd be augmented with more dry 

 Uraw, and over this fome mats or canvas cloth. 



Or, after the bed has been fpawned and covered in 

 fome confiderable time, and the mufhrooms do not feem 

 to come freely, or that the warmth of the bed appears 

 fpent, may remove the covering, and apply next the bed 

 a quantity of warm, dry, hor^e-ftable litter, near a foot 

 thick, and other dry litter over that ', and this will pro- 

 mote 



