234 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



bcliold! in time 1 went tu anotlier place, wliere I also was in charge of a mush- 

 roomhouse, and here I had more failure than success; in fact, my work was a 

 failure from beginning to end — so much so that in a few years we gave up fur- 

 ther attempts. I then realized that my previous successes were due more to 

 the house than to my own skill. 



Of two houses that are apparently alike, one may dry out much more rapidl\ 

 than the other. The best success is obtained where a house is built into a bank, 

 with natural soil overhead, or rather, natural soil above the brick arches. Such 

 a location requires very little artificial heat to keep up the proper temperature, 

 and a certain amount of ventilation is all that is necessary. In a house of this 

 nature the heating pipes should be rather small, and so arranged that each may 

 be turned on separately, as needed. 



There are two modes of preparmg the manure for successful Mushroom grow- 

 ing. The one generally used is to secure fresh horse manure from grain fed 

 horses; manure that has been lying around for any length of time and has become 

 heated almost up to a state of burning, is practically useless. The quantity 

 of manure depends on the size of the house. Large growers can procure it in 

 carload lots, while private establishments may get fresh manure from the horse 

 stable every morning until sufficient is collected to make a bed of the desired 

 size. This manure should be placed in an open shed and turned over once a 

 day for a few days, when loam may be added, in the proportion of one wheelbarrow 

 of loam to six of manure. The loam seems to assist the spawn in working better 

 through the bed. Two or three days after adding the soil the manure should be 

 in condition to be placed in the bed. Here good judgment is necessary. The 

 manure should be neither too dry nor too wet, for in either case it might kill 

 the spawn. It often needs a light watering before the bed is made; it should be 

 moist but not saturated. A good way to test it is to take up a handful and 

 squeeze it; there should be just enough moisture to keep the material together 

 with no surplus water running off under the pressure. Manure in this condition 

 is about right for a healthy growth of spaw n. It should be placed in the bed in 

 layers and thoroughly firmed down by tramping with the feet or pounding with 

 wooden mallets, so as to produce a solid foundation. Mushrooms will not be a 

 success when the manure is soft and spongy. The bed should not be too shallow- 

 ten to twelve inches is not any too deep if it is to last any length of time. 



If the manure was in good condition, the thermometer will likely reach 

 100 in the bed within a few days, probably more; spawn must not be inserted 

 until the heat has receded to 8o° or 90°. English spawn may be put in when the 

 heat is just below 90°, while Pure Culture spawn may be put in at 80°. Insert 

 it in the bed about three or four inches deep and about five inches apart each way, 

 using pieces about the size of a walnut. Then firm the manure down again thor- 

 oughly. In about a week or ten days place two inches of good maiden loam 

 over the bed. This also should be in a moist condition, or in such shape that it 

 will pack down fairly solid with the back of the spade. If the beds are made firm, 

 they will not dry out so quickly and less water will be needed. A quick drying 

 out of the beds is injurious to the healthy development of the Mushrooms, but 

 if the manure gets dry, the bed must be watered. The temperature of the 



