26o — How to Make the Garden Pay. 



Now insert a thermometer in the centre of the mass, and 

 again allow the first violent heat to subside. When the tempera- 

 ture has been reduced to 85 or 90 degrees, the bed is ready for 

 planting the spawn. 



Break the bricks of spawn into pieces of the size of a small 

 egg; then make holes 2 inches deep, and 10 or 12 inches apart 

 each way, all over the bed, and drop a large piece, or two smaller 

 ones, into each, afterwards filling the holes with the manure 

 mixture, and again beat the beds down smoothly and evenly. 

 Then cover the whole with two inches of fine loam firming it 

 with the back of spade or shovel. 



In a dark cellar and even temperature of from 55 to 60 

 degrees the mushrooms will appear in from 5 to 8 weeks. 

 If the cellar is rather light, the bed had better be covered with 

 6 inches of hay or straw. In a reasonably damp cellar watering 

 will not be necessary ; but in a dry one warm water should 

 occasionally be sprinkled over the bed with a fine rose sprinkler. 

 A little nitrate of soda, or saltpetre, dissolved in the water will, 

 I think, be found of great advantage in lengthening the bearing 

 period of the bed. The spawn can be obtained of any large 

 seed house. 



A Summer Mushroom. — Recently a new species has been dis- 

 covered and introduced, under the name Agaricus stibrnfesccns. 



It seems to be of stronger 

 growth and vitality than the 

 ordinary fall meadow mush- 

 room, flourishing in hot 

 weather and moister soil 

 and atmospheric conditions. 

 The mycelium (root growth) 

 will endure a soaking which 

 would surely be death to 

 that of A. cavipcstris. I 

 find this new mushroom of 

 easy culture, of excellent 

 quality, and so quick in 

 growth when conditions are 

 favorable, that the tiny mag- 

 got which during the hot 

 season invariably ruins the 

 ordinary slower-growing 

 kinds, is noi given an oppor- 

 tunity to do much harm to 

 this if promptly gathered. 

 The illustration shows an average good specimen. The gills 

 while under the veil are white, gradually turning to pinkish, then 

 to light brown, and when old, finally to a blackish-brown. The 



Mushroom {Agaj'icus sichrufescens). 



